Inuki
by Tessenchan
Summary: [On Hiatus] Inuyasha has died, and Kagome realizes the difficulty of the path the hanyou once took between herself and Kikyou when she encounters his reincarnation. Rated T for language.
1. Prologue Morning

Hiya Inuotaku~! You found my new ficcie! Yaya! I dun remember HOW I thought of this fic, but I was doing a lot of thinking about Kikyou and Inuyasha when I did it (One word. Eep.) Anyhoo, this IS NOT an Inuyasha/Kikyou fic just to reassure you, but then it isn't exactly Inuyasha/Kagome either. Ha ha, confused yet? ^-^  
  
And NO it isn't yaoi (there will never never never be ANY sort of Inu/Mir, Inu/Fluffy, Inu/ANY MALE CHARRIE from me for as long as I live. I'll read it but won't write it. ^-^) and it's not an odd couple like Inuyasha/Sango, Inuyasha/Kagura or Inuyasha/Urasue or anything. (Eew that last one scared me. But Im sure someone in their demented imaginations has or will do one...)  
  
Just read it, it will all make sense in time, and if by the end of the first chapter you dun like my little fic, you will be refunded and have no obligation to continue~ yadda yadda yadda, the fic ish downstairs. ^-^  
  
NOTE! The first few chapters (the prologue especially) are EXTREMELY angsty, and it deals with character death!!!! Keep Kleenex nearby!! (Gomen ne Anna-sempai, I warned them and not you~ ;p)  
  
Disclaimer: Inuyasha isn't mine (although this story ish). Sue if you will, but be forewarned: the only thing I have to my name that you'd be able to take if you sued would be my underwear, and I REALLY dun think you want those.  
  
____________________________  
  
Inuki  
  
Prologue :: Morning  
  
In a small house on the property of the Higurashi shrine in Tokyo, a young woman lay in a bed where a young girl had once been. She was asleep, as it was early morning and not yet even the sun had risen. In her head, dreams and visions of the past played out, the young woman helpless to stop the images she no longer wished to see.   
  
She wanted to forget. Forget the well, forget the Sengoku Jidai, and Miroku-sama and the others.  
  
And forget Inuyasha...  
  
*Kagome...*  
  
Kagome Higurashi sat up abruptly, stifling the scream that almost tore loose from her throat. Her face was wet with tears. She stared blankly at the soft pink bedspread before she calmed, drawing her knees up to her chest and huddling up with a shudder.  
  
*Another dream about that day...* she thought, brushing the tears away with her palm. She laid her head on her arms and glanced out the window, out at the sun which was beginning to rise on the new day. The beautiful day, new and fresh. The clean slate.  
  
But without him.  
  
What was the point of continuing on without him?  
  
*I can't go back to those days anymore,* she thought listlessly. *Back when it was fun... with Miroku-sama and Sango-chan and Shippou-chan and... and Inuyasha... It's gone. And I can't get it back, no matter how hard I try.*  
  
There was a soft rapping on the door. "Kagome-chan, are you awake? You have to get ready for school."  
  
Kagome sighed. *Life goes on, I guess,* she thought as she tossed her pajamas onto the chair carelessly and rummaged through her closet for a clean shirt. "Yes, I'm up. I'll be down shortly."  
  
As she put her bra on Kagome looked down at her left hand desk drawer nervously before slowly sliding it open and pulling out the frame which she kept face down inside. She sat down on the bed and turned the picture frame over, glancing down at the faces she loved so dearly, the faces that were etched into her memory forever.  
  
It had taken all day to get them to stand still. Shippou kept bouncing when the flash went off, Inuyasha wanted to tear the camera apart and Miroku wouldn't stop groping Sango long enough to look up and smile at the camera. But she had done it, managed to set the camera up and take a timed photograph.  
  
From the left, Sango-chan, Miroku-sama, Kaede-baachan with Shippou on her shoulder, Kagome and then Inuyasha, who had to be bribed to stand facing the camera, but no amount of ramen would've gotten him to grin like he so rarely did. But he was holding her hand; he had slipped it in at the last moment, just before the flash went off. And it was visible in the photo.  
  
But while that picture was one she loved, it was not her favorite. She kept the favorite to herself, tucked between the cardboard backing of the frame and the photo. She slipped it out and gazed down at it.  
  
Inuyasha's smile met her, his face almost hidden by his silvery hair, one fang gleaming in a wild, boyish grin, his white dog ears perky and alert. This was the one picture she had of his smile.  
  
The only picture she would ever have.  
  
Kagome sniffled quietly, crumbling forward against her knees and weeping, calling out his name. She wanted to curse him. She wanted to yell at him. She wanted to hold him.  
  
If he were there before her she would've beaten against his chest, bopped his head, sat him until he couldn't breathe. And then she would hug him and not let go, never let go of him again, and finally tell him how much she loved him, and how much she wanted nothing more than to just stay by his side forever.  
  
But that was impossible. No more.   
  
Because Inuyasha had died. His body lay in a grave marked by a slab of rock with his name engraved in it, underneath the place he had asked.  
  
And now, in her time, Inuyasha's remains rested at the foot of the Goshinboku.  
  
"Kagome??"  
  
The girl snapped up, brushing the tears away, and she slid the picture back into its frame, hidden from the rest of the world. It was her treasure, and she would share it with no one else. "Coming~"  
  
~*~  
  
Kagome stood in front of her new high school, looking up over the large building blandly. New students, from rival junior high schools and some from her own school, flocked about, chitter-chattering about new classes and new opportunities of the high school.  
  
*Well, Inuyasha... minna...* Kagome thought, *I made it to high school. I wish you could see me now.*  
  
~*~ To be continued ~*~  
  
a/n :: Was it sad?? I hope so~ ^-^ Review and tell me, okie? Chapter one will be posted soon~  
  
~*~ V^-^V ~*~   
  
~Tessen 


	2. Chapter 1 The New Transfer Student

Note:: I know that in my fic 2bwu2morrow "Ayumi" is the name of Kagome's mom. At the time I didnt know that the name Ayumi was taken (Ayumi is the curly haired friend of Kagome's) so in 2bwu2morrow her three friends are Eri, Yuka and Arisa, but in this one its accurate with the manga/anime, okie? (Is that confusing? I hope not~)  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha or anything, so there :p mmmmmh!  
  
____________________________  
  
Inuki  
  
Chapter One :: The New Transfer Student  
  
Old friends squealed and hugged each other as they remet on the schoolyard after the short break between the school years. The former juniors, now seniors, prowled around looking like queen bees and the big dogs of the campus, and the new juniors looking proud to be where they were.   
  
The new freshmen, including Kagome's class, bounced around like young fresh out of the cave, squealing their pleasure at having finally made past the horrid entrance exams to the much more liberated high school. Liberated even to point of no school uniforms; the administration allowed students to wear what they chose, with regards to the dress code.  
  
Ayumi looked very stylish, her glasses perched on the end of her nose, wearing a sweater and skirt setup. She stood on the tiptoes of her new platform Mary Janes, trying to peer over the heads of the taller boys. Her dark gray eyes caught the sight of the faces she searched for and squealed. "Eri-chan! Yuka-chan!"  
  
The pair saw her and worked their way through the throng to her. Eri, as usual, has her shoulder length hair in a hairband, and Yuka's was styled slightly different, but still just as short as ever. Ayumi hugged them. "Hisashiburi yo ne!"  
  
"Yeah," Eri agreed, "It was a long break!"  
  
"What did you do over the vacation?" Yuka asked and Ayumi smiled knowingly. "I worried about the exams!"  
  
Eri and Yuka looked irked. "What for? You breezed through everything."   
  
Ayumi blushed, laughing nervously. "Aha ha ha, really? Hm."  
  
"Ne," Yuka broke in, looking around, "Where's Kagome-chan?" Ayumi shrugged. "I was here first, and I haven't seen her come in yet, so I'm not sure. I was hoping she was with you."   
  
Eri shrugged, straightening out her shirt. "Haven't seen Kagome... well, considering how severely ill she was last year I wouldn't be surprised if she hadn't passed... But she was sick for three straight months before the end of the year."  
  
"Wow..." Ayumi mused, "I studied so hard I barely had time to notice! I hope she-- HEY! Kagome-chan!!!!"  
  
The three girls rushed over. Kagome was standing at the gate, looking up at the school with a sorrowful expression. She looked pale, her eyes empty of the former life and youthful mirth she had going into ninth grade last year. She looked the same, but even to the girls' eyes, they could see there was something wrong.  
  
Her brown eyes fell on them and she smiled an all too adult smile. She looked a little older, a little more weary than her sixteen years should have shown. Even dense Ayumi realized this was not the same Higurashi Kagome they had known. "Hisashiburi da ne," she said softly, and Ayumi impulsively launched herself at her. "Kagome-chaaaaan!!!!"  
  
Kagome gawped, haphazardly catching the smaller girl. "Eh, nani~?!!"  
  
"We were so worried!" Eri cried, "You were absent for three months, not to mention the fact that over the two month school vacation we never heard from you!! What happened?"  
  
"Just sick," Kagome replied, "But it gave me time to catch up on all the schoolwork I missed and here I am." She grinned, and this time it was more genuine. "Let's go get our class schedules."  
  
The girls all headed into the gym, where tables were set up with particular kana listed. They seperated, each looking for her last name. As Kagome headed towards "H" she brushed heavily past a young man, and ended up on her ass for it. Muttering yelps to herself, she looked up at the instantaneous response from the young man. "Higurashi?!"  
  
She looked up in surprise, recognizing his voice. "Houjou-kun!"  
  
He grinned, straightening his clothes and then reaching down at her. "I can't believe you're here! I thought for sure with all your illnesses you wouldn't have made it!" Kagome smiled as he helped her up and she dusted herself off. "Thank you Houjou-kun."  
  
"Did you get your schedule yet?" the young man asked and as Kagome thumbed through the stack of "Hi" she murmured, "Getting it right now..." Houjou grinned. "It would be neat if you and I had the same class!"  
  
Kagome rolled her eyes, mentally torturing the bird-brained student with all sorts of interesting objects-- fire ants, a kitchen cleaver with a fair amount of rust on it and the Chinese water torture amongst her thoughts. Houjou was a sweet guy, but sometimes he just wasn't all there. As she found her class schedule Houjou said, "I'm in 1-B, Akihito!"  
  
Kagome deflated when she saw the name of her homeroom teacher.  
  
Akihito.  
  
What did Life have against her?  
  
~*~  
  
"It sucks that we got split up," Ayumi said, "But we got the same class as HOUJOU-KUN! The smartest, most talented, most amazing guy in ALL. OF. SCHOOL~~!" She squealed and Kagome forced a smile, following the class door numbers with her eyes. She was looking for the class she, Houjou and Ayumi had been divided into, 1-B. Eri and Yuka were in 1-C.  
  
She wasn't particularly happy she was stuck with the Birdbrain from Hell; while she had never intended to be rude to him --not that the thought hadn't crossed her mind-- his lack of intuition when it came to her was enough to make her snap at his overconfidence and tenacity. That and the fact that she was still very much in love with a dead man. She was afraid of what she might say, to Houjou or to anyone else.  
  
Kagome walked into the assigned room and looked upon the view blandly. It was almost already full, kids sitting on desks and crowding around each other, noisy incessant chatter filling the air. You could almost see the social classes they had been unintentionally divided into. You could see the jocks and the preps, the outcasts and the nerds. In junior high all you saw was kids all wearing the same thing; now, clothes divided them.  
  
Kagome chose a seat in the middle of the row, near the window. Ayumi picked a seat a little further ahead of her, and Houjou took the seat in front of Kagome. The teacher, a small, older man, walked in and settled down the class with a single holler, and then began to take attendance.  
  
Now that it had settled down a bit, Kagome buzzed through it, raising her hand when she heard the man's very clipped voice call her last name out. The excitement had disappeared, and fragments of thoughts were now running around, hardly forming complete sentences. Just realizing that she was here, in Tokyo, in the 4th district high school, reminded her of her painful adventure to the past.  
  
She didn't have Inuyasha.  
  
No, she didn't have him. If she did, she wouldn't be in school. She wouldn't be in the 20th century. She had decided to stay with him. To forget school and forget this rushed, monotonous routine of a life and stay safe by his side, where things were always as wild and crazy as he was. To be able to stay curled against his warm chest, where she was safe.   
  
Even in a world where demons lurked everywhere and the danger was probably 100 times higher than in Tokyo, she had Inuyasha, and he would always protect her.  
  
When had she decided it? She couldn't remember. Had it been just before they battled Naraku? Or even before that?  
  
Yes, it had been before that. Just after another fight. About Kikyou, always Kikyou. Nothing new, except that, as much as she loved him, Kagome decided to leave... She couldn't bear it anymore... He understood the moment she'd handed the Shikon shards to him...  
  
~*~  
  
Kagome tugged on her arm, trying to free herself of the impatient hanyou attached to the other end and struggling to fight tears at the same time. She would not let him see her cry. "Let go of me Inuyasha!!"  
  
He shook his head. "You're NOT going back until you answer my question! Why did you give these to me?! If you don't take these with you, you can't come back!"  
  
Kagome shook her head, preparing a good sit. "Let go of me, you stupid jerk! Maybe I don't WANT to come back!" His grip loosened instantly and Kagome yanked free of him when it did, half-running a few steps forward, and stopping. She sniffled, forcing down the feelings. Don't cry don't cry don't cry...  
  
"You.. want to leave?" He sounded so hurt. So betrayed. How dare he sound that way. "Why would you... want... to leave me?"  
  
Please don't sound that way... Kagome reached for her first excuse, as lame as it now sounded. After all, she had just told him she wasn't coming back anyway. "I have school! After we beat Naraku and gather the rest of the Jewel, I have to still have a life there! I need to be able to go back!! I already told you that I don't have a future there unless I study!"  
  
"Who cares? You don't need one there, you have one here." Frustrated, Kagome cursed under her breath his obstinacy, straightening the straps of her backpack. "But see, that's the problem! I DON'T have a future here! I can't stay here forever, Inuyasha~ This isn't where I'm supposed to be!"  
  
The tears were close, please, just let him let her go, please. Let him understand.  
  
Once more she felt his hands on her arms and he spun her to face him, his face crinkled in pain. "You're supposed to be wherever I am because your place is with ME!"   
  
Her struggles stopped and she stared up at him, eye full of surprise and wonder. His eyes were intense, focused on her face, and for the first time she saw nothing else in him, only his desire to be with her. He didn't want the Shikon no Tama, he didn't want to be a real youkai, he didn't want Kikyou.   
  
He just wanted ...Kagome.   
  
She swallowed. "Wh... what?" He shook his head. "You can't go, I don't want you to! If you leave me, I'll have to beat Naraku all by myself. And what am I supposed to do after that?! I'll be alone again!"  
  
"You won't be alone, you'll... you'll have her..." she mumbled stupidly, not understanding why he was doing this.  
  
"Kagome you're so stupid...!" His response simply angered her. She struggled against him again, but he held firm, closing the distance between them swiftly and embracing her. Kagome caught her breath.  
  
"What are you doing?" she demanded, and Inuyasha swallowed. After a moment he breathed against her ear, "Kikyou doesn't make me feel the way you make me. Don't leave me alone. I need you."   
  
At the declaration, Kagome drew up against him, the tears breaking through, and she finally relaxed, burying her face in his shoulder and weeping.   
  
I hate this about myself. Why do I let this jerk walk over me? Why do I let him get away with trampling on me... making me cry... tearing me apart...  
  
Because I want to see him again. Because I need to hear his voice and see his smile and look in his eyes just one more time. Because I never know when it will be the last day, the last fight, and my last chance to see--  
  
"Inuyasha......"  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"..........I'll stay..."  
  
~*~  
  
"Higurashi. Tsk tsk. Sleeping on the first day?"  
  
Kagome snapped awake with a yelp and looked up at the teacher. Akihito looked very bored with her behavior and the other kids were sniggering a bit. On the spot she babbled out an excuse. "Ah, I'm sorry sir!! I must still be a bit weak from my sickness."  
  
"Sickness?" the teacher repeated and Kagome nodded. "I missed a good deal of my ninth grade year sir, because of a freak epidemic at my home. I was sick 95% of the year, including the last three months." Mentally, Kagome rolled her eyes. *I'm getting as bad as Jiichan.*  
  
"I see," he replied, buying every bit of it, "If you feel weak again, I'll have one of the other students take you down to the infirmary." Kagome nodded. As he headed back he glanced at his wristwatch. "Hn. That new student, Yashagawa... he's late."  
  
Even as Akihito said this, Kagome heard the door slide open. As a natural reaction she turned her head toward the sound, and as the door slid aside she gasped at the figure of the young man who stood there.  
  
He was tall, about 5'11 or so, his long black hair braided down his back, and coal-black eyes searching the room. He was wearing a pair of beat-up jeans, the right knee sporting a hole in them, and a pair of sneakers long overworn. The loose fit shirt he wore which showed off his moderately ripped torso and arms was the only thing even relatively brand-new, and even it was a few months old.  
  
This registered, but only in the back of her mind. She was staring at his face. The features which she knew inch by inch, the deepness of his oddly cat-slitted eyes, and the width of his smile, even though he wasn't presently smiling.  
  
She had a picture of this boy at her home. It was her favorite.  
  
Her hand went up to her mouth, and she might've squeaked, she wasn't sure. Her mouth formed the name, "Inuyasha" but all she heard was a breath of air. Her hands trembled as she lowered them to the desk, clenching them.   
  
He was panting, as if he had run from the front of the school to this classroom. The girls oohed over his form and his youthful face as he wandered in, looking a bit like a lost puppy. The teacher snorted. "Yashagawa! Class began nearly twenty minutes ago! You are late!"   
  
"Sorry sensei, I missed the bus," he replied smoothly, standing at the teacher's side and looming over the tiny man, who was at least a foot and a half shorter than him. Regardless of his height, the teacher attempted to be intimidating and he mumbled some sort of nonsense at him, a reprimand of some sort but much like Kaede calling Inuyasha on something, the new kid was glaring off into space, not really paying any attention.  
  
Kagome couldn't take her eyes off him. His body movements, his form of speech, even his voice, was all like Inuyasha. Even if he seemed a bit more blockheaded than Inuyasha was. Had been.  
  
"Take that seat next to Higurashi, Yashagawa, and don't cause any more trouble." The kid nodded once or twice before heading down the aisle, sliding past Kagome, and he slouched into the seat with a thud.   
  
Kagome just stared at him. *What... what does it mean...??*  
  
And then it hit her.  
  
Kikyou had died once. She was reborn as Higurashi Kagome.  
  
Inuyasha had died. Was it possible he had reborn as this hulking teenager next to her? Could demons even be reborn?  
  
He looked up then, and his eyes caught hers for a moment. His eyes were unique: long slits, dark brown with specks of yellow-gold. And for the one moment they gazed at each other, his blockheaded anti-hero facade dropped, and she saw Inuyasha in him. The defenseless, mistreated and sweet hanyou soul that inevitably she realized Inuyasha had.  
  
Her eyes teared up. He came back to me. He found me, and came to me.  
  
~*~  
  
As "liberated" as high school was, it was also infinitely more studious. There was history, literature, biology, English, grammar, algebra, civics, economics, Japanese*, and every single one of the corresponding books was at least five pounds. And every single one of the one-thousand seven hundred thirty-two students who enrolled HAD one of each of these, ranking up around 45 pounds per student.  
  
With homework in nearly every subject and only seven minutes to get out to the bus so she could make it home, Kagome was understandably having some trouble. With every other kid doing the same thing, it made her wonder again how people actually GRADUATED.  
  
In the midst of the afterschool rush, Kagome spun around the corner, down the stairs, and before she knew it, her foot had slipped out from under her on the slick metal stairs. She managed to avoid falling on her ass for the second time in the day, but she DID drop four of her books.  
  
SLAM! SLAM SLAM SLAM!!!  
  
The resounding thuds echoed in the stairwell, and Kagome blushed, feeling the stabbing gawps of the other students' eyes. Some of them were looking at her like she was a clumsy moron, some were laughing. Some were shooting pitying expressions her way and she wondered what she had done that warranted being pitied. But not a single one bent to help her, and Kagome cursed under her breath, bent to pick them up--  
  
--and clonked painfully into the skull of another student.  
  
"Ow~~~!!" she cried, falling back and clutching at her forehead, certain a lump was already visible. "What is your head MADE of?!"  
  
"Shit! I could say the same about you! You have bricks in there instead of brains, or what?!"  
  
Kagome stopped, perking a bit, and lifted her eyes to meet the deep brown orbs of the new student, Yashagawa whatever-his-first-name-was. He locked glares with her, looking irked, rubbing his own head, his ebony hair falling in shocks over his face. Kagome stared slightly. He was cute. Really cute. REALLY cute, like Inuyasha was cute on the first night. Insecure and dark.  
  
She couldn't help it. She blushed.  
  
Yashagawa snorted as he stood up, straightening his shirt. "Oh jeez, you're a typical female as well. You gonna gush now, you stupid girl?"  
  
Almost instantaneously she went from admiring to angry. She jumped up as well, trying to lean into his face. No good; he was too tall, like Inuyasha. She settled for poking her forefinger hard into his chest with every syllable. "Well you moron why don't you mind your own business next time!! I didn't ASK for your help!!!"  
  
Yashagawa laughed aloud. "This what I get for being nice!! Figures." He picked up his own backpack and stomped down the stairs, stopping at the base to throw one last insult her way. "Stupid girl!! You should accept people's help when they offer it!"  
  
"Moron! You should mind your own business!" She screeched back, not at all surprised when the other teenager snorted and stalked away, his nose in the air. Kagome fumed, kneeling to pick up her books. "Stupid!"  
  
Almost as if they were cued, Ayumi, Eri and Yuka appeared from the head of the stairs. Ayumi bent down to help, and Eri blinked. "Anou, who was that?"  
  
"That was Yashagawa-kun!! Sutekki yo ne?" Ayumi gushed, "He's SO cute!"  
  
Yuka smiled. "He WAS nice to look at."  
  
"He's a moron!" Kagome replied, "An insensitive, stupid, selfish jerk!"  
  
"You talk like you know him," Eri observed and Kagome caught herself then. *I..I was...! It was like I was around Inuyasha again.* She bit her lip. *I wonder if.. if it's possible?*  
  
*Could he be Inuyasha, reborn?*  
  
~*~ To be continued ~*~  
  
a/n :: Yaya~ I set everything up! Dunno how, but I did!   
  
Btw the * after Japanese was because of this (I'm not sure if many people know) I KNOW they're in Japan, so they're obviously not studying how to speak their own native language. What I mean is the study of the 4000+ kanji characters the Japanese use, which they study pretty much from the moment they enter school. Just to clear that up.  
  
PLEASE review!! I crave reviews!! Im a reviewnut, yes? ^-^V Okie, ja~!  
  
~*~ V^-^V ~*~   
  
~Tessen 


	3. Chapter 2 Surprise

Yashagawa-kun's first name is revealed in this chapter. (Hint: this story is titled after the main character, 'kay? lol ^-^V) As for what his name means and how Inuyasha died, (for Bejipan-san and anyone else who wanna know ^-^) read the a/n at the end of the chappie, ne? ^-^ Luff ya and thanks for the reviews!!! I really appreciate them!  
  
Disclaimer:: I SO do not own Inuyasha. So SO do not sue me.  
  
____________________________  
  
Inuki  
  
Chapter Two :: Surprise  
  
"Tadaima."   
  
Kagome looked up, expecting to see her mother waiting to greet her with a cheerful smile. Instead she blinked at the sight that in her hallway, raising one eyebrow. There were large cardboard boxes lining the wooden floor, some stacked on top of each other, pushed up against the wall, leaving just enough space to walk down the hallway towards the other rooms as long as you walked sideways.  
  
There were only about four or five of them, some of them marked "winter clothing," and another marked, "bedroom." Perplexed, Kagome mumbled out, "Mama???"  
  
Mama peered out of the living room and smiled. "Ah, Kagome-chan! Okaeri."  
  
"Mama, what's with the boxes?" Kagome wondered aloud as she crab-walked down the hallway, and Mama smiled. "Well, I know I didn't tell you, but with your having to catch up on schoolwork I didn't want to bother you."  
  
Kagome nodded as she set down her backpack and accepted the warm tea her mother handed her, and Mama smiled. "I've told you about Shoko-chan, my friend from childhood?"  
  
"Yes," Kagome agreed, remembering the pictures her mother had shown her. Shoko had been a small, pretty woman with very long black hair. But if she recalled correctly, Shoko had died when she was only about twentysomething, and according to Jiichan, Mama had been devastated. Despite this, Mama smiled. "Well, Shoko-chan's son is going to be staying with us for awhile."  
  
Kagome almost spewed out her tea. "Mama! It takes everything we have to support the four of us; we hardly have enough room for someone else!!"  
  
Mama waved a hand at her daughter, undaunted. "Oh, Souta-kun has already volunteered to let Inuki-kun stay in his room, and Inuki-kun will most certainly be supporting himself. He has a job working at the video rental store. Which is why he's late, I'm sure. He should be coming home around eight tonight."  
  
Kagome looked irked. "You seem to know quite alot about him. I know you said you didn't tell me because I was studying, but that was only for the past two months. How long has this been planned?!"  
  
"Oh, for quite some time. We've been communicating by letter until he shipped me his things. I think it was right after you stopped going to the Sengoku Jidai." Mama treaded on the subject carefully, her tone soft, and Kagome blinked, suddenly realizing why Mama had said nothing.  
  
The last thing Kagome had cared to hear about after what happened in old Japan was that some boy she'd never met before was coming to live in her house. Kagome nodded, sighing, and then asked, "Just curious though, doesn't he have a family? He has to stay with the family of his mother's friend?"  
  
Mama shook her head. "Afraid not. When Shoko-chan died, Inuki-kun was about four. The poor boy was shuttled back and forth between his older brother and his aunts and uncles until now. His father died before he was born. He's never really had anyone he can call family."  
  
Kagome blinked. "I see." She perked slightly. "Well, I'll do my best to get along with him."  
  
"Thank you, Kagome-chan."  
  
~*~  
  
Kagome sighed as she flopped onto her bed like dead weight. She was exhausted, emotionally, physically, spiritually and mentally. Meeting that Yashagawa kid had again drug up the memories she would rather forget.   
  
Again and again the scene in the stairwell played in her head. Everything was like him. The way he frowned, the way he snorted. That aloof toss of his head as he stomped down the stairs, his bookbag held over his shoulder. It took little to no thought to turn Yashagawa into Inuyasha instead. Perky dog ears and white hair instead of his black tresses, and golden eyes instead of brown. Red, loose clothes instead of those dark tight ones, barefoot instead of worn sneakers, Tessaiga instead of a schoolbag.  
  
Tessaiga... Kagome rolled over and gently slid off the bed, reaching underneath it to grab what lay protected underneath. Her fingers grazed the soft wrappings she had taken care to sheathe it in, and tugged it out, pulling into her lap a very old katana wrapped in a red cloak.  
  
She unraveled the hi-nezumi haori, letting it slip down into her lap, and her fingers brushed against the familiar, satiny wood sheathe of Tessaiga. She marveled at it even though the sight of it was so everyday for her.   
  
The cloth wrapped around the hilt was old and withered, torn in long trails at some places. Carefully she slid the sword from its sheathe and even nicked and rusted, Inuyasha's blade shone in the incandescent light. Despite how broken over him she had been that very morning, she smiled fondly at the sight of his sword. She gathered the sword and cloak in all, up to her face, and held them. His scent was still soaked in the red fur and she sniffled as tears gathered in her eyes.  
  
They were her souvenirs from her hanyou. The picture he'd been embarrassed to take, the red armor that protected him and the sword he'd refused to let go of.  
  
Kagome heard the faint sound which was unmistakably the sliding of the front door and suddenly Mama's elated voice. "Kyaaa~!!!!!! INUKI-KUN! How you've grown since I last saw you!! You're so tall! Just like that father of yours!! And you look JUST like your mother!!! Come in, come in!! Kagome-chan!!! Inuki-kun is here, please come down for a moment!"  
  
Kagome gently put away Tessaiga and headed downstairs, turned into the hallway--  
  
--and stopped short. She gawped at the boy her mother had been so excited to see.  
  
Yashagawa Inuki looked back at her, his slitted eyes widening, and his face twisted in aggravation. At the same time, both of them screamed, "YOU!"  
  
Mama, Souta and Jiichan looked on in awe as Inuki groaned, slapping his forehead and letting his backpack slide to the floor at his feet. "I have to stay with you!? If I had known that Ofukuro's best friend was YOUR mother, I'dve preferred living in a cardboard box!"  
  
Kagome fumed. "Well you're most certainly welcome to, you idiot!!! Why don't you pull the one you use for a brain out of your head and live in that!!!"  
  
"What was that?!"  
  
"I'm confused," Mama admitted, and Kagome pointed accusingly at Inuki. "THAT can't be Shoko-san's son!! She was too nice to be related to that swine!"  
  
"At least I'm not an ungrateful twit!" he growled, and Jiichan stood between them, lifting his hands with a loud, "ENOOOOOOUGH!"  
  
All sound stopped.  
  
Jiichan looked at Kagome. "What is going on, young lady?"  
  
Kagome pouted, crossing her arms. "That moron and I met in school today! He's an idiot!!"  
  
Inuki snorted. "Heh~! At least I had the decency to offer your my help even though you crudely refused, you pig-headed wench!"  
  
"Pig-hea...!! I oughta slap you!"  
  
"Can you even reach this high, Thumbelina?"  
  
"YOU JERK!"  
  
"Brat!"  
  
"Idiot!"  
  
"Stupid!"  
  
"I SAID ENOUGH!" Jiichan huffed, and again it was quiet. Mama tilted her head. "Kagome-chan, would you please be civil to Inuki-kun? And Inuki-kun, as a guest in this house I do expect you to be polite."   
  
Inuki and Kagome turned their heads and crossed their arms with a huff, obviously not about to agree. After a moment of the battle of wills, Kagome sighed, throwing in the towel. "Since he needs a place to live, I'll be nice to him."  
  
"Oh thanks alot. How can I EVER repay your disgustingly gracious hospitality." Inuki droned, and Kagome narrowed her eyes at him. "Don't push your luck, you idiot."  
  
"Stupid."  
  
~*~  
  
"... and he's selfish and rude and he's a jerk!" Kagome finished and Yuka laughed on the other end. //Kagome-chan, he can't be that bad, I SAW the guy. He's cute!\\  
  
"Yuka-chan, do you even try to look for personality or do you just give up on the surface level?" Kagome wondered and Yuka laughed again. //Guys are all the same, Kagome! So why bother with scrounging for personality when there ISN'T any?\\  
  
Kagome sighed, wondering when Yuka had become so shallow, and shrugged. "In any case, the guy is a jerk. Besides, dating is out of the question. Not because he doesn't have any manners or class but because.."  
  
Yuka sounded bored. //Yeah, yeah you've got that boyfriend. The badass, overly jealous, violently possessive, two-timing boyfriend. You know Kagome-chan, you should really just give up on such a guy get someone better he's not good enough for you! Such a two-timing violent person can't be very--\\  
  
"He's dead."  
  
For a long time there was silence on the other end and then Yuka hesitantly responded with, //What?\\  
  
Kagome bit her lip. She hadn't wanted to break it to Yuka so quickly and so suddenly, but hearing her talk about him like that even though she didn't know him-- Kagome couldn't take it. "My boyfriend was in an accident. He died, five months ago."  
  
Yuka gasped, sounding genuinely remorseful, and a little regretful for having spoken of him. //Oh, my god! Kagome-chan, I'm so sorry!! Why didn't you tell me sooner, I would've been there for you!\\  
  
"It's alright, I'm okay now," she said, even though it was only half true. It wasn't alright, and she was hardly over it. But she found herself saying it anyway. It seemed like the right reponse; she didn't want to worry her friend.   
  
Yuka babbled how everything would be okay and that Kagome would find another guy whom she loved just as much or more, and that if she ever needed a friend, call her; the basic lines when someone close dies. Their convenient little chat had withered to nothing and finally both girls decided it was time to hang up.  
  
Kagome tossed the phone down and rolled over, staring up at the ceiling blandly.  
  
If she ever needed a friend.   
  
She couldn't see herself collapsing into Yuka's lap and crying about Inuyasha. Even if he hadn't been a half-man, half-dog demon from Sengoku Jidai, she couldn't see it. Yuka hadn't known him; all she had was a vague picture of who he was, and even then the only time Kagome ever talked about him was when she was mad about him, and so all Yuka and the others knew was that Inuyasha had been selfish, reckless and violent.  
  
*He was. Inuyasha was selfish and reckless and violent and possessive. He was stupid and jealous and he was cheating on me always.* Aloud, she whispered, "But he was courageous and reliable and he protected me and it made me happy just to see him."  
  
She sniffled and rolled over, burying her face in the pillow, but she didn't cry. She felt all cried out. She lay in silence for a moment.  
  
She needed someone to talk to. A friend she trusted. A friend who had also been affected by his death. The friend whose shoulder she wept on the night they buried him.  
  
But she didn't think she could bear to face her now.  
  
*After I left... I didn't even think about returning, for a moment. The well isn't sealed, but... I haven't been back in so long... Surely Sango-chan and Miroku-sama have gone on with their lives... without me...*  
  
Kagome closed her eyes, feeling very tired of it, tired of everything. As she often felt when she thought of him. Of living without him. It was exhausting.  
  
And so she slept.  
  
~*~  
  
She woke abruptly, as one does when you're startled awake but don't know why. She was suddenly wide-awake, and parched and very hot. She found the cause of that fairly quickly; she'd fallen asleep in her clothes and they stuck to her uncomfortably.  
  
Kagome glanced at the alarm clock on her bedside table; 1:36 am. It wasn't very late, and she'd only slept for about four hours. Jiichan was indefinitely asleep as he was old and weary, even though he protested it to no end. Mama was in probably in her bedroom reading, and Souta also probably in bed.   
  
She slipped down the stairs quietly, padding down the hall towards the kitchen just as soundlessly when she suddenly heard: "Just where the hell are are you going?"  
  
She fought the urge to squeal and spun to face the intruder, grabbing a weapon nearest to her --a flower pot-- and fully intending to bash it over the head. That is, until she met Inuki's dark slitted eyes as he glared stonily at her.   
  
She gawped, halfway at him and partly at her own stupidity-- how could she forget about the newest addition to their household? "How did you know I was here, I didn't even make a noise!"  
  
"I have very good hearing," he reasoned, and then turned back towards the book and began to write messily. "Besides that, I could smell you coming." He continued to scribble notes into his notebook, unaware that Kagome was fuming. She threw the flower pot at him anyway, and it shattered over his head.  
  
"OW! What the hell did you do that for?!" he demanded angrily and she clenched her fists. "You just said I stink!!!"  
  
Inuki jumped to his feet. "I did not say you STINK! I said I could smell you!!! That does not mean that you stink!"  
  
"Then what DID you mean!?!" she demanded and Inuki plopped back down, casually rubbing his head. "I have a very sensitive nose. Sorta like a dog's, or a wolf's or something. I can smell things or people before they're close."  
  
Kagome looked irked. That was just weird. At least Inuyasha had had an excuse for being able to smell her; he was part dog. This guy was all human.  
  
That meant he had to be Inuyasha, didn't it?  
  
Abruptly she noticed the pile of books that surrounded him, and the several notebooks. "What are you doing, anyway?" she wondered and Inuki looked up at her as if she had asked him the most obvious question in the world. "Uhm, homework? We have to read the first chapter in history, do pages 23-28 in math, read chapters 1-3 of english and write a short narrative on it, not to mention the kanji character study with alternating right and left parts, and then the--"  
  
"Okay, okay, I got it," she droned, shaking her head as if she were dizzy. Inuki raised an eyebrow. "No wonder you got such bad grades in junior high, you never did your homework."  
  
Kagome saw red. "EXCUSE ME?! I was SICK when I was in junior high and that's none of your business so why the hell are you even bringing that up how did you know anyway?!!"  
  
Inuki looked like he regretted saying anything. His eyes had grown huge. "I heard from some kids who went to 4th district with you, jeez! Sorry, I didn't know you were sick, you don't have to bite my head off! Don't be such a bitch."  
  
"I'm NOT a bitch!" she argued and Inuki rolled his eyes. "Keh. You suffer from stick up my ass syndrome, then? Are you always this uptight?"  
  
Kagome's patience with this guy was wearing thin. "And lemme guess, you suffer from some sort of foot in mouth affliction? Who asked you?!" Inuki rolled his eyes again and looked up at her. "You still didn't answer my question. Where are you going?"   
  
"I'm going to a get drink of water! Since when do I have to report to you to walk through my own house!"  
  
Knowing the kitchen like the back of her hand, she didn't bother to turn on the light as she yanked a glass from the cupboard and angrily filled it with water, muttering insults under her breath. Suddenly the light flicked on and she looked up. Inuki was staring into the pantry.  
  
"WHAT are you doing?" Kagome demanded and Inuki turned to look at her. "I'm starving. Could you make me something to eat?"  
  
Kagome's mouth dropped open. "Oh I SEE! You call me a bitch and then expect me to COOK for you?! Are you THAT stupid?"  
  
"No, just THAT hungry. C'mon, please?"  
  
Kagome rolled her eyes and pulled a small kettle from the floor cupboard, filled it with water and then set it to boil. Once she had, she marched to the pantry, pushing Inuki aside, and pulled out a can of cup ramen, slamming it down on the table.  
  
"There. That'll have to do." she said frostily, in the back of her mind hoping he would be absolutely devastated she wasn't actually cooking, but instead his face grew delighted. "RAMEN!"  
  
He picked the can up and began to huggle it, and Kagome watched with wide eyes.  
  
"Inuyasha..."  
  
Inuki stopped suddenly, his eyes narrowed. "What?"  
  
Kagome clapped a hand over her mouth and turned away. "I'm sorry, Yashagawa-kun, I didn't mean... Forget it." She turned around, plastering a fake smile on. "Forget I said that name, okay? It doesn't mean anything." Inside her head she laughed bitterly.   
  
Inuyasha... Doesn't mean anything...  
  
What a joke.  
  
~*~ To be continued ~*~  
  
a/n :: Aah, questions!! ^-^ Okie, so here goes answers!  
  
Yashagawa means "Demon River" and Inuki means "Dog demon." For Inuki's name I wanted something that used "inu" and "yasha" (I'm cliche, gomen! u.u;;;;;) The kanji I used for his last name is "yasha" (the same as Inuyasha's) and "kawa" and it means demon river. Lame I know (especially since "yasha" actually means "forest spirit" ^^;;;;;;; Think anybody'll notice?)   
  
The kanji for his first name is "Inu" (dog) and "ki" which is a reading of the kanji "oni" which means demon. Thus "Inuki" means the exact same thing that Inuyasha does, just with a different kanji. ^-^ (With all the different readings for kanji his name could very well have been read "Inubake" or "Inuoni" Ich how nasty is that!)  
  
As for how our loveable hanyou passed away, it will be revealed later on. Right now the only thing I'm really focusing on are Inuki and Kagome and the development of their relationship. Later when they go to visit Miroku and the others Inuyasha's death will be explained (this isn't just some random Inu-gets-reincarnated ficlet; I have a whole good guy/bad guy/ass-kicking plot for it as well) As well as why Kagome didn't use the Shikon no Tama to bring Inuyasha back to life. (I bet you guys are dying to know that one ^-^V)  
  
Well, I hope that helps a little!! Also, btw, if anyone wants to see Inuki, I finally fnished some art of him, email me or review and I will send you some (just be sure to send email addresses) Or you can just use your imagination: he looks just like Inuyasha does on the new moon, except his hair is in a braid and he wears jeans and a t-shirt. Very simple ^-^   
  
And lastly, a message to my recent flamer, "Alitha the Inu spelling correcter." First, you misspelled "correcter;" it's CORRECTOR. Use spell check. It's a useful little luxury, I promise. Two, if you knew ANYTHING about Japanese you would know that the language has no set-in-stone boundaries on their spelling of anything (and by anything I mean the connectors like the "tsu" in Tetsusaiga, the "o"/"ou" debate and so on), unless you deliberately go out of your way to spell Kikyou "Kikuu" and so on. Two and a half, KIKYOU is the spelling in the original manga, written in furigana next to the kanji. Check it out sometime. Three, you can vent all the "fustration" you want but you can't get over the fact you can't spell okay?   
  
The next time you decide to flame someone do your homework first.  
  
~*~ V^-^V ~*~   
  
~Tessen 


	4. Chapter 3 Getting Along

I'm sorry this is late, minna, thank you for waiting so patiently! And thank you for the reviews!! I luff all of you, you're wonderful!! ^-^ Please stick with me and continue to let me know how Im doing! ::bows:: This one is sorta..................... SHORT. Gomen!!! I'll update quicker b/c I finally finally FINALLY finished chapter 4! Yay~! Okie, I shut up now~  
  
Disclaimer:: Standard twinkies apply. o_0;;; Wait a minnit, twinkies...??  
  
____________________________  
  
Inuki  
  
Chapter Three :: Getting Along  
  
Even if the 10th grade homeroom teacher for 1-B was Akihito, a short, pudgy little man with the temper the size of Godzilla, the third period math teacher, Kenko, was an overenergetic harpy of a man. He was a good teacher, nice and kind and forgiving, but he was annoying, as he was a very mild-mannered sort of guy. He never stopped grinning. And of course, overgaiety is a problem.   
  
Especially when you babbled 'no da' after every sentence like a certain blue-haired one-eyed monk from some anime Kagome had seen on television once.   
  
Kenko flashed those huge bogus fake white teeth at his class and squeaked in his harpy voice: "Okay cla~ass! Out with the ho~omewo~rk! Pages 23 through 28 of your ma~athbook na no da! Pleeeeeeeeeeease!"  
  
There was the instant sound of paper being automatically whipped out of folders, just to shut him up, but Kagome noticed that Inuki hadn't even bothered to open his backpack. As Kenko came down the aisle to pick it up, he stopped at Inuki's desk and began in a singsong voice, "Yashagawa~a, didn't you hear me? I'm picking up your assi~gnme~nt no da. Let's have it."  
  
"Didn't do it," Inuki said smoothly, leaning back in his chair, and Kenko pouted. "You do realize this is a ze~ro no da~?"  
  
"Whatever," Inuki moped, lifting a claw to-- Kagome blinked. Claws??  
  
Jeez, his fingernails were long. They weren't that long yesterday, not in the least, or else she would've noticed, especially since during the three minutes it took to finish the ramen, he'd drummed his fingers on the table. Very annoying.  
  
Inuki mindlessly chewed on his forefinger, the other hand drumming against the desk, and with the growth of his nails, was making a very effective clacking noise, and it seemed to be getting on Kenko's nerves. The overexcitable teacher frowned and at that moment the entire class gawped. Kenko had actually STOPPED SMILING!   
  
"If it's no problem to you, Yashagawa, I'll have you stand outside na no da!"  
  
Inuki snorted and stood up in the chair, glaring down at the harpy. He was, after all, very tall, and intimidating when he got that glare that was once used to stare down enemies in the Sengoku Jidai. And then he stomped out of the class.  
  
Kagome watched in agitation. Through 500 years of reincarnation, he hadn't changed a bit!! She sighed.   
  
But part of her was very curious. Yesterday he'd seemed so studious... and now suddenly he was the class punk? Something was definitely off.  
  
Especially since he had turned in the rest of his homework.  
  
~*~  
  
"And I couldn't believe he just...! Ah! It was scary! Nobody talks to Kenko-sensei like that!" Ayumi moaned, the other girls making soft noises of acquiescence.   
  
"But even so, Yashagawa-kun is really cool, isn't he??" squeaked one of the more timid girls, blushing slightly, "His eyes are so brown, they're like chocloate, and then his hair is so long and he wears such tight shirts you can see his chest through them. Isn't he just wonderful?" Ayumi giggled. "Shiori-chan, you LIKE him!!!"  
  
"N-n-n-not really..." Shiori squeaked again, her reddened cheeks belying her true feelings. Kagome, noting the direction the conversation was taking and never having been much for that sort of talk, began to drown out the sounds and turned her eyes to the field nearby.  
  
Inuki was standing mid-field, a soccer ball held under his foot, alone against a team of five seniors, whom Kagome recognized as the captain and four best players on the school championship soccer team. The school's team had been on local TV once or twice in the past because of the championship games they often dominated. She had heard they were looking for new skill though, as the team had been lagging, and she wondered if Inuki was trying out.  
  
She sighed. Show-off. Only Inuki would possibly enjoy putting himself against the top members of the school's team by himself. If his looks didn't prove he was Inuyasha reborn, his attitude and personality HAD to.  
  
One of the coaches blew the whistle and instantly it was on, Inuki's black braid bouncing and waving as he darted through their defense, his lithe form slipping between them, all the while kicking towards the goal, and it was over in seconds.   
  
He jumped forward, landing on one foot and bringing back the other in a wide, heavy kick that sent the ball whizzing past the goalie and sailing into the goal. Kagome heard a victory yell, complimented by murmurs of both aggravation from the team or awe from the ranks of girls who sidelined the field. Inuki grinned, throwing his arms into the air triumphantly. She smiled faintly.  
  
*He's like him. Alot like him. But he's also so much more open with his feelings than Inuyasha was...* She allowed her smile to grow a bit wider.  
  
~*~  
  
"I said no already, what more do you want?" Inuki snarled, and Shiina sighed as he watched the other boy pack his things into his locker. "Oh, COME ON, man! You can't show off that much and then NOT play!" He grabbed his hands intently, causing the other boy's eyes to widen. "I'm begging you!!"  
  
"I hope your hands are clean..." Inuki muttered under his breath, waving the senior off him. Then he glanced at him out of the corner of his eye. "In any case, I wasn't showing off, I was GOOFING off. You guys were the ones who jumped me in the middle of my game and asked me to try out."   
  
Shiina nodded. "Because you'd be great!! You're better than all of the seniors out there, and I'd make you a starter if you wanted it! My point is, you could go far! You could probably get an academic scholarship! Screw that; you could make the national team!"  
  
"And my point is that I don't want it," Inuki said, his face sincere. "I have work, I can't waste my energy playing games." He continued to rearrange his locker contents as he spoke. "I'm trying to save up some money to get a place of my own and I hafta work to get money. Hell-- as it is, I'm living with the daughter of a friend of my dead mother's. You think I have time to frickin' play soccer?"  
  
"Practice is in the morning, on Monday and Wednesday. We have a game once a week, on Fridays." Inuki groaned and slammed the locker shut and Shiina grabbed his shoulder. "C'mon, man! You have to join something anyway or you won't get your extra credits to graduate."  
  
Inuki sighed. "Fine. I'll join."  
  
Shiina clapped his hands together, bouncing down the hallways. "Great! Thanks alot man, I SO owe you!" Inuki waved him away, annoyed, and continued down the hallway. He was halfway out of the school when he perked, noticing the familiar scent of honey and plumeria on the air. He turned to meet Kagome and she smiled at him.   
  
"Finally picked something to join, huh?"  
  
"Yeah, registrations and shit end tomorrow, figured I should just pick one." He looked at her. "What'd you pick?"  
  
Nobly she responded: "Hospital volunteer work."  
  
He facevaulted, looking almost bored. "Oh dear God, SIGN ME UP! I've had a change of heart and I wanna SAVE THE WORLD!! Could you have picked anything MORE BORING?"  
  
"Possibly." she droned, kicking him in the shin, and he yelped, cursing aloud. As they walked Kagome looked sideways at him. "By the way, why didn't you do your math homework?"  
  
Inuki snarled. "None of your business."  
  
Kagome blinked, looking matter-of-fact. "You were so noble about it last night, and then you didn't even do it? You're going to get a rep as a slacker if you don't. And then even if you get an academic scholarship it's bye-bye birdie. Or doggy in this case."  
  
"Shut up."  
  
"You did all your other homework." She pressed again, and after awhile, Inuki looked down and mumbled something. ".....can't..."  
  
Kagome leaned forward. "Eh?? Say that again, I don't think YOU heard it."  
  
"I said I can't do it!" he yelled, and she noticed his face slightly red. He grit his teeth angrily. "I'm not good at math. Every year I just barely pass math class. I just can't do it." Kagome looked embarrassed for him for a moment. Then she raised an eyebrow. "Why didn't you say something, I can help tutor you."  
  
Inuki glared down at her. Then he pursed his lips together, his face still slightly pink. "You promise you won't laugh at me or anything if I sound stupid."  
  
"Promise."  
  
"AND you won't tell anyone!"  
  
Kagome sighed. "I promise already! Do you want my help or not?!"  
  
Inuki stared at his shoes as they walked, and then nodded. "Okay. After I get home from work." Kagome nodded, and then turned down one of the lanes towards the house while Inuki continued on. "See you later."  
  
"Yeah yeah."  
  
~*~  
  
"......and that's how you get slope."  
  
Inuki and Kagome were lost in a crowd of books and papers, facing one another over the table. Kagome had already finished her math assignment, but Inuki sat across from her, one freshly sharpened pencil stuck behind one ear and another in his hand, the eraser gone, the cause of that being his nibbling it to bits. She had already jokingly reprimanded him on taking out his frustrations on the poor No.2 pencil, but the way it was going, he was serious, and the poor pencil's days were numbered.  
  
She felt a little bad for him; he was already exhausted. It was almost 3 in the morning, and ever since he got home at nine they had been doing their homework and studying math. She could see dark shadows etched under his eyes, and the sag in his broad shoulders. He yawned widely and nodded at her. "You take the A and divide it by the 3... plus one... sheep... 2 sheep... 3 sheep..." He sagged a little bit and Kagome stared at him. After a moment she reached out and gently poked his shoulder.  
  
"Yashagawa-kun."  
  
"I'm awake," he argued, snapping up intently, and he set himself over his notebook determinedly.  
  
Three seconds later he was out for the count.  
  
Kagome stared at him for a moment before she stood up and walked around to the closet, pulling out a spare blanket. She carefully draped it over his shoulders, her eyes locked onto his face for a little too long. She blushed, pulling away, and flicked the lights off, leaving a nearby lamp on.  
  
"Goodnight, Yashagawa-kun."  
  
~*~ To be continued ~*~  
  
a/n :: Re-view~! Re-view~! It helps if you review! La la la la la la la la~ Re-view! Review review review~! (A parody of the Seven Dwarves' song brought to you by Tessenchan ^-^ ) Did you enjoy it? Inuki-kun has a weakness~! ^______^ (I also read way too much MARS, a good deal of this chappie's scenes were inspired by Rei Kashino-sama! Yum~)  
  
You get fluff in the next one! (not anything extravagant, I don't want this to turn into Miaka and Tamahome, you know?) Anyway, as I sang before, review and lemme know! Okie, ja~!  
  
~*~ V^-^V ~*~   
  
~Tessen 


	5. Chapter 4 Will You Miss Me When I'm Gone

Disclaimer:: Oh, I~~~~~ WISH I owned Inuyasha, hurray, hurray! I WISH I owned Inuyasha, hurray, hurray!  
  
____________________________  
  
Inuki  
  
Chapter Four :: Will You Miss Me When I'm Gone?  
  
"Aaa~ this sucks."  
  
Kagome looked over at Inuki, who was staring at the television. The screen was showing his program, but rolling forever over it was the snow show. Inuki leaned back and glanced out the window, where lightning crackled and the rains fell. As they had for the past six consecutive hours. He snorted in aggravation. "Damn rain... I'm missing my program."  
  
He flicked the TV off and switched on the radio to catch the final bit of the weather report. "...severe torrential rains over the Sasaki and Murasaki districts. 20% rain predicted for the rest of the weekend, with a front coming back in next week. In other news--"  
  
"Keh," Inuki muttered and Kagome sighed as she continued her housework, picking up the garbage in the living room. About then, there was a loud buzz at the dryer went off and Kagome looked at Inuki. "Seeing as how you have nothing better to do, why don't you help me?"  
  
Inuki grimaced at the prospect of housework. Kagome frowned. "You're lucky, buster. You got out of this on the 11th when you wanted to sleep over at Shiina-sempai's house." Inuki flinched, hating that she had brought up the last full moon and wondering if she knew the true reason he'd been so adamant on leaving that evening.   
  
Luckily she read his body language as nothing more than having been cornered into something he didn't want to do, and he stood, leaving the subject and padding down the hall to the laundry room. He gathered the freshly-dried clothes into a basket and brought it back to the living room to fold. Upon return he found Kagome watching some program on television.  
  
"Oi! If I have to work so do you!" Inuki yelled, throwing a pair of her panties at her and Kagome blushed bright red as she fumbled with the catch. "HEY~ those are my underwear!"  
  
"I know that," he said, undeterred, "NO one else wears lace except you~" She blushed and yanked the basket away from him. "Give me that!! Watch your stupid program then, I can't trust you with my underclothes!" Inuki nodded, settling in front of the fuzzy television set. "Thank you."  
  
Kagome noticed a neon pink heart sticking out from underneath the other clothes and pulled it out. A pair of black boxer shorts with hearts on them. She grinned, snickering to herself, and then threw the neon underwear at Inuki. They landed gracefully on his shoulder. Mindlessly he reached up to grab them and when his eyes fell on them he gawped, and it was his turn to blush. "HEY!"  
  
Kagome was in the floor. "I KNEW they were yours!! Ever since you came to live here, that pair of boxers had been popping up!!" She giggled some more, and while she was distracted Inuki took the chance to paw through the heap for anything else embarrassing that his housemate may find, growling to himself in humiliation.   
  
It wasn't his fault his uncle had a rather odd sense of humor.  
  
Through with her fit, Kagome settled herself before the laundry again and began to dig through it. She had separated everyone's clothes and was in the process of folding Souta's when abruptly the phone rang and she reached over to get it. "Hai, this is Higurashi."  
  
After a few moments Kagome blinked. "Yashagawa Takeru? Who? No sir, I don't know the--" She gasped as the cordless was abruptly snatched away from her and she glared at Inuki as he pressed the earpiece to his ear.   
  
"Hey you--" He covered her mouth with his hand, gesturing silence. Then he turned and spoke into the mouthpiece. "Takeru?"  
  
There was quiet for a moment before Inuki nodded. "I see, Mr. Shinomoto." He turned to Kagome and mouthed, 'A friend.'  
  
*If he's a friend why didn't he just ask for Yashagawa-kun to begin with. Sheesh~* She tuned into his conversation and tried her best to listen in. It was difficult since Inuki refused to give her any detail at all as to what he was discussing, and her curiosity was killing her.  
  
"Yes, I'm living with a friend of my mother's. Higurashi Kinoko-san. Yes, at the Higurashi shrine." He nodded a few times, as if forgetting the guy on the other end couldnt see him, and Kagome realized the guy was talking an awful lot and Inuki was taking it all in.   
  
He nodded again. "The 16th at 9 am then. No, school won't be a problem." He sighed. "Thank you for your help Shinomoto-san. I'll be there. Goodbye."  
  
He pulled away and turned the phone off, and Kagome turned away with a huff. "So? What's so important you'd have to be excused from school for?" After a moment with no response she opened her eyes. Inuki was looking seriously at her, and after a moment he looked blankly at the table. "Higurashi..."  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"Do you like me?"  
  
She swallowed. Like him? How did he mean? Like him as a person? Friend? Something else? No, it was way too early for 'something else,' they'd only met 8 days ago. Her mind was running circles at the sudden odd question and she frowned. "Like you... how--"  
  
"Never mind," he cut her off, quickly turning towards the kitchen. "What's that smell?"  
  
Kagome sniffed a bit. All she could smell was her own honey and plumeria perfume, and the hazelnut incense in the corner. "What smell?"  
  
"I smell something burning."  
  
Again, Kagome sniffed the air hesitantly. She didn't smell anything out of the ordinary. "I don't smell anything burning," she told him and he turned to her, pointing at his nose. "My nose is better than yours. What are you making for dinner?"  
  
Kagome gasped suddenly and rushed to the kitchen. Inuki watched her go and sighed despondently. What if he never saw her again? He didn't want to go back there. It wasn't like Takeru had ever hurt him, physically or otherwise, but then.. he'd never done *anything.*  
  
According to Takeru, Inuki didn't even exist.   
  
But here, he was surrounded by love and friendship... even if Higurashi could be bitchy, it still made him happy to see her face in the morning rather than Takeru's. He didn't want to leave.   
  
Suddenly Higurashi let out a squeal, snapping the black-haired boy mack into focus. Assured she had screwed up something, Inuki followed and grimaced at what was in the pot Kagome uncovered. "What the hell is this, glue?"  
  
"It was supposed to be rice...." she said, tugging at the sticky white glop with the spoon.  
  
"Looks more like plaster," said an unsympathetic Inuki, "But whatever it is, I'm not eating it."  
  
Three veins popped out on her forehead, and Kagome very nearly screamed Osuwari at him before realizing it wouldn't affect him. So instead she made a mental note to bash him with another flower pot later. She sighed and turned off the rice, and headed across the room to finish the dinner dishes.  
  
Several minutes later, a heavy stench rose in the air, and Kagome let out a squeal that nearly burst Inuki's sensitive ears as she flung open the oven.   
  
"What'd you mess up now!?!" he demanded from down the hall, and Kagome yelled back, "Nothing, shut up and mind your own business!"  
  
"You're *messing* with my business! I have to eat that you know!!"  
  
"I thought you said before you weren't going to!"  
  
"Well I'm definitely not now!"  
  
Another vein stood out on her forehead as she slammed shut the oven, having removed the roast chicken. A very well-roasted chicken; he was dry, black and crispy. Kagome set it on top of the oven in a huff.  
  
After a three more minutes she called down the hall, "Yashagawa-kun, dinner's ready!"  
  
~*~  
  
"Is this it?"  
  
"Yup."  
  
Inuki narrowed his eyes at the cup ramen before him. "Not much of a dinner if you ask me."   
  
Kagome pouted as she dug into her own noodles. "Nobody's asking you."  
  
Inuki eyed her quietly before taking his chopsticks and digging into his ramen as well. They ate in silence, as they were prone to do. That was always how it was, unless they were talking about school or work.  
  
Kagome hated the silence. "Yashagawa-kun?"  
  
He looked up, looking slightly surprised. "Hm?"  
  
"Why'd you ask me if I... liked you?"  
  
Inuki continued eating. "No reason."  
  
Kagome frowned, setting her cup down. "Obviously there was a reason! Because you..." She stopped herself, swallowing. *For just a moment, Yashagawa-kun's face looked so sad.*  
  
At her concern, Inuki forced himself to smile more excitedly than he cared to. "I just wanted to know if I ever left, if you'd miss me."  
  
"Oh, that's all?" Kagome breathed a sigh of relief. "Oh I thought you were gonna ask me to... go out with you or something!"  
  
A sudden swarm of butterflies fluttered in his stomach at her comment, and he blushed slightly. It hadn't been the farthest thing from his mind, because Higurashi was a beautiful girl and you would be stupid or blind not to notice. But he certainly wasn't ready to ask her out, and he felt discouraged from the sound of her relief when that hadn't been the case.  
  
He grinned. "No, of course not! You think I'd go out with a pig-headed woman like you!?"  
  
"You jerk~!"  
  
~*~  
  
The next morning, Inuki had soccer practice. It was the second practice of the season, and Kagome, unbeknownst to anyone else, loved watching them practice. She snuck out after Inuki every morning and watched them practice for the hour before class started.   
  
She hooked her fingers into the fence as she watched the soccer team pass the ball between each other. The team had been split in halves and their "practice" was to play a game against each other and work out plays and such. Kagome usually went brain-dead at the mention of sports; she wasn't good at remembering anything like this, but she liked watching Inuki.  
  
She spotted him immediately; he was too easy to see, even from far away. He had the longest hair of any of the others guys on the team, and was the second tallest.  
  
And as she had seen days before, he was the best player on the team. The newest member and yet he was lecturing the captain on how they should play. No matter the defense the captain put up, Inuki managed to get through it. She could hear him yelling all the way by the fence where she was.  
  
"...and the line's too wide, you gotta tighten it up! If I can get through here, that means some Moshimori High porker can too! I want two over by the goal at all times, don't move unless the ball is coming at you! Manta I want you over there with Shiina."  
  
She laughed out loud, mostly to herself. That was so like him. She looked up to see Inuki's head turn towards her and she gawped. *He heard me from way over there?!!*  
  
She wanted to sink into the ground and disappear. She had absolutely no reason for being at school so early other than the fact that she'd wanted to come and see him play.  
  
The bell for school rung and the team members dispersed, and no matter how quickly she tried to get away, Inuki was trailing her, and they sat next to each other in class. She'd have to face him regardless.  
  
"Oi, Higurashi!!" She froze, and the taller student jogged up beside her. She turned to face him, and mentally thunked her head into a wall. She had avoided one only to have run into the other, and she smiled wanly at the sight of her visitor. "Hi.. Houjou-kun..."  
  
The dubious student smiled at her. "Wow, what are you doing here so early?"  
  
She smiled helplessly, hoping that at any moment Inuki would appear and bail her out. "Watching the team practice."  
  
Houjou nodded and then as if she hadn't said a thing at all switched subjects. "Well, I haven't gotten the chance to talk with you much in the past week, what with my poetry club after school and your being at work and everything, which I think it's really swell of you do volunteer work at the hospital, that's so like you... but anyway like I wanted to say, the spring festival starts tomorrow and I got some tickets for the Japanese drama they're showing and I wondering if maybe you'd wanna go with me tomorrow?"  
  
Kagome sweatdropped at him. Houjou just smiled back at her, unaware of the fact she wasn't even considering agreeing; her mind was still stuck on how in God's name he got all that out in one breath. He rode his bike alot, she supposed somehow that would work his lungs a bit; he was quite a talker also, and in any case, being that cheerful all the time meant you had to be pretty healthy...  
  
"Higurashi, are you alright?"  
  
She nodded vaguely, still in thought, and her eyes caught his face. As soon as she'd given him an affirmative response, he'd started smiling again. She winced. If he smiled anymore, his face would break in half. She wanted to ask if it hurt to smile that much. Surely it had to.  
  
"Well, so do you want to go?"  
  
I'll want to go to the festival with you when Hell freezes over, she told him mentally. There was no way out of this situation. She sighed, starting to reach up and accept, when at that moment--  
  
"She's with me," said a sudden voice from the side, and Kagome looked up to see Inuki at her arm. He casually slipped an arm around her shoulder, and she blushed a little bit, but for the sake of the moment didn't pull away. Houjou looked unfazed.  
  
"Oh you two have plans tomorrow! I'm sorry!! Well, Higurashi, you and I can go another time then!" The birdbrained freshmen rode away with a smile, waving, and Kagome raised an eyebrow. His confidence is admirable, really, but sheesh. After an entire year of being ditched and/or told no flat-out, one would think the boy would've lost his confidence in the matter.   
  
As soon as he was out of sight, Inuki unraveled himself from her side and headed towards the front entrance. "C'mon, the first bell's gonna ring soon."  
  
Watching him walk ahead of her, Kagome suddenly missed the previous contact. His chest had been warm and surprisingly comfortable. It felt odd saying she belonged to anyone but Inuyasha, but being against Inuki's chest like that had felt... right. And suddenly she wanted to know why he'd hugged her.   
  
"Why'd you do that?" Kagome asked aloud and Inuki turned to look back at her. "Do what?"  
  
"You hugged me."   
  
He snorted. "Keh~ Don't get too excited over just a hug. You looked uncomfortable. I just stepped in for a moment to bail you out, and unless we at least looked close he wouldn't believed me for a minute."   
  
He looked at her, missing her disappointed, irritated glare. "Didn't look like he believed me much anyway. He's too stupid for you. How come you haven't just told him to eat his shorts and get on with life?"  
  
Kagome's irritation with him dissipated with the odd question and she giggled a little at the thought of telling Houjou-kun to eat his shorts --and the mental image caused a side-splitting laugh to come from her. Inuki grinned, slowing a bit to walk at her side. "You like that, huh?"  
  
She laughed. "You're too much!" He grinned, pleased with himself, and she looked up at him. "Yashagawa-kun, I, uhm... I'm sorry."  
  
"For what?" he wondered and Kagome frowned. "About what happened last night, you had asked me if.. I liked you or not, and I didn't even answer."  
  
Inuki bit his lip, dreading her reply, and shrugged, hoping to avoid it. "Higurashi, you don't have to--" He paused when a small hand grasped the sleeve of his windbreaker and tugged on it. He turned to face her and she looked up at him sincerely.  
  
"I would," she said, "It makes me happy to see you. And if you left... yes, I would miss you."  
  
Inuki stared at her for a moment and then smiled and Kagome's heart skipped a beat at its realness. He nodded. "Thanks."  
  
The morning bell rang and both students gasped. "Ah shit~" Inuki growled to himself, and Kagome stamped one foot. "We'll never make it up to Akihito's now!" Inuki cursed aloud, and then he turned to Kagome, grabbing her hand. In an instant he swept her off her feet and took off towards the school. She swallowed, shocked at his speed-- it was nothing like what he displayed in his soccer games or in practice. It was totally different.  
  
Like he wasn't even human.  
  
She instinctively leaned into his chest, her small fingers knotting into his soft cotton shirt. Going unnoticed by Kagome, Inuki blushed at the way she curled up against him. She smelled so good; she was wearing the honey and plumeria scent he especially enjoyed. He didn't know why, but it had always been his favorite, since he was a child. He skidded to a stop in front of the class and set her down, and averted his eyes, hoping his blush had dissipated. "There, we're uhm... only a little late."  
  
*Lame lame lame!* He kicked himself mentally for such a stupid line, but Higurashi seemed unaffected. "Thanks." She turned and headed in, and Inuki watched her go quietly. It happened again: she reminded him of the dream. Maybe it was her scent; maybe her name. He wasn't sure.  
  
He'd had it again this morning. It was the reason he'd gotten up so early. After the dream, he could never sleep. Had never been able to, even since it started, so long ago...  
  
The blood flowing down his body. The smell of death. The muffled sound of her voice. Her scent, the scent of honey and plumeria. The smell of her tears. He couldn't see anything. Nothing but darkness. Two silvery streams of tears going down her cheeks. Why was she crying? He hated it when she cried...   
  
A globe of soft pinkish-purple light entered him, and it was so very warm. But what was it for... his body was going cold. And he whispered her name.   
  
It was the one part of the dream that followed him to the waking world. Her name. Every night, as he woke in a cold sweat, her name was on his lips.   
  
Kagome.  
  
~*~ To be continued ~*~  
  
a/n :: Okie, time to chat. ^-^ First, slvrstarlight had wondered if Inuki would remember anything from his past life and originally the answer was no. Kagome hadn't (remembered anything that is) and the only thing she had in common with Kikyou was her feelings for Inuyasha. But then I realized I had already made Inuki alot like Inuyasha, so wtf. I might as well not dwell on the Kagome/Kikyou thing when Inuki/Inuyasha is already entirely different. So I incorporated his memories into his dreams. ^-^  
  
Second, this is the fourth frickin time Ive revised chapter 4. (which is the reason I was a little late as of recently; grr!!) I kept getting ahead of myself and putting in scenes I didn't quite want to show yet. The original chapter four will probably be something like chapter 7 or 8 and the second version of chappie 4 is the new chappie 5 (::sigh:: confused yet?). So instead you get this one (plus the hint that Inuki senses a connection between himself and Kagome) ^-^V Squee!  
  
As always please review!! I luff the reviews!!! Okie, ja~!  
  
~*~ V^-^V ~*~   
  
~Tessen 


	6. Chapter 5 The Bracelet

Sorry for being late, ^^;;;;; Merry Christmas from me! I hope you enjoy this waffy fluff I wrote for you~ lol  
  
Disclaimer:: I don't own Inuyasha. ::quiet blank stares:: Well I dont!  
  
____________________________  
  
Inuki  
  
Chapter Five :: The Bracelet  
  
"Yashagawa-kun."  
  
Inuki mumbled something in his sleep and turned his head, and Kagome grit her teeth in aggravation, narrowing her eyes. With the soft erasery end of her pencil she poked him hard in the shoulder. "Ya-sha-ga-wa-kun."  
  
"Go away; m'sleepin'..." he mumbled and Kagome frowned. It was Wednesday evening; Inuki had to be at work in ten minutes and yet there he sat, slumped over the living room table, sawing enough firewood for three winters.  
  
And snoring was not an appropriate environment to study in. Kagome poked him again. "Get up you oaf, you have work!"  
  
He sat upright with a start, glaring at her sleepily. "I. Am. Not. An. Oaf." he growled, standing and shuffling down to the bathroom. Kagome shook her head pitifully, and sighed, glancing at Mama who was watching the afternoon news and sipping tea. "What is it you LIKE about him?" she demanded and Mama smiled. "He is a sweet boy, a hard worker and considerate. You should try to appreciate him more."  
  
"There's nothing to appreciate, he's a bum!" Kagome trilled, but Mama only laughed.   
  
Kagome settled back to her studying, sighing. Well, not completely a bum. Just that morning she had told him how she really felt about the situation. And in all honesty he was. He did work hard, he was a decent guy at heart. He was just too honest some times and a complete jerk at others.  
  
Take last weekend for example. Friday night he had been normal, except slightly edgy. Plus the fact he clipped his nails at least ten times that evening; everytime Kagome looked at him his nails were an inch or two longer than he usually kept them.   
  
Saturday morning, he'd noticed something on the calendar --Kagome couldn't understand what he'd noticed other than it was the 11th of April in the year 1998-- and he immediately requested that he stay over at Shiina's house for the night.  
  
Mama, being the caring loving soul she was, agreed and around 3 pm Inuki disappeared. The next morning he'd returned, looking as normal as ever with the exception he was exhausted. Kagome was incensed. Barely in school a week, having lived with them for that long at least and that idiot had partied all night!   
  
And he still tended to stay up too long, thus the sleepiness today! How dare he slack off when he knew he had to work?!  
  
*Bum,* she threw out again, *He's just lazy.*  
  
Inuki appeared again, redressed, his face washed and his long hair rebraided. He yawned, the only sign that he was still sleepy, and Mama looked up at him. "Inuki-kun, it's still at 9 am tomorrow, right?" She glanced at the board, where "9 am" was still scribbled next to Inuki's name.   
  
'The board' was the brand new dry erase board Mama had purchased to keep everyone's schedules straight. Inuki nodded and dug through his backpack, on the hunt for some elusive article.   
  
He nodded. "It's an off-day because of the teachers' conference, so school won't be a problem. So yeah, still at 9." Mama nodded. "Will you still need me to come down for you?"  
  
"Uh-huh... "  
  
"Wait a sec, what's going on?" Kagome wondered, remember he had mentioned it yesterday. Mama smiled. "I have to sign some papers for Inuki-kun tomorrow."  
  
"What kind of papers?" Kagome nosed, and Inuki glared at her. "Papers papers. Stay outta my business, brat."  
  
Kagome flared instantly.   
  
"Excuse me!? I am NOT a brat, you self-centered, egotisical, stubborn, stupid, JERK!" She gathered her stuff in one swoop and stomped up the stairs to her room, "All you ever think about is yourself and for all I care you can beat yourself unconscious!" Her voice faded and was complimented by a slamming door. Mama sighed. "Oh, Kagome-chan..."  
  
To his credit, Inuki softened after Kagome had gone and looked at Mama. "Ms Higurashi, are you sure I shouldn't tell her now? She'll be pissed at me if I don't." Mama smiled. "Kagome-chan has this way of getting over things she doesn't like in the beginning. It's probably better to tell her afterwards."  
  
Inuki sighed. "Why the hell does she hate me so much? She told me..." He blushed slightly, remembering what Kagome had told him that morning.  
  
I would. It makes me happy to see you. And if you left... yes, I would miss you.  
  
"Well according to what she told me, she doesn't hate me but still..." Mama put her hand on his shoulder, patting gently. "There are things about you that remind her of someone she loved. It's still hard for her."  
  
"Oh... an ex, huh?" Inuki swallowed, his eyes narrowing, and he glanced back up the stairs. *So Higurashi...*  
  
~*~  
  
"Tadaima!"  
  
Kagome leaned out to look in the hallway. At the door, Mama and Inuki were slipping off their shoes. Inuki looked neutral as always, but Mama looked quite happy.  
  
"You were gone forever!!!" Kagome noted, "What kind of freaking papers were these?!" Mama smiled. "Courthouse hearings always take quite some time, Kagome-chan."  
  
Kagome gawped. "C-c-c-COURTHOUSE?! Why were you there?!!" She stood up and glared at Inuki, poking him in the chest. "You UTTER JERK! It was that partying you did last Saturday!!! How DARE you go and get in trouble with the cops and then make my mother bail you out!!!! You're a guest in this house, not a family member!!!"  
  
Inuki looked down at her coarsely, wondering why he had tried to be nice and appeal to her mother to tell her such huge news ahead of time, but with her response to it, accusing him of being in legal trouble-- that miffed him a little bit more than a lot. "I'm not trouble, baka onna," he growled, "I was making Higurashi-san my legal guardian."  
  
Kagome's mouth dropped open. "What?"  
  
"Today is Inuki-kun's 16th birthday!" Mama exclaimed, "He now has the right in court to claim whom he accepts as a legal guardian until his 18th birthday!"  
  
Inuki sat down, snatching up a stray pickle from what was left of Kagome's sandwich. "I've been trying to appeal for a different guardian since I was 14, but you can't choose until you're 16. Shinomoto-san is my mother's lawyer and he represented my case for me. That was why I went to court today: to be released of my brother's custody." He glared at her. "Thanks SO much for being supportive."  
  
Kagome softened, narrowing her eyes and trying to ignore his attempt at pulling a guilt trip. "Well why didn't you just TELL me. I have a right to know! This is my house too!"  
  
Inuki looked at her, slightly wide-eyed, and then popped another stray pickle into his mouth. Sincerely he said, "You're right. You have a right to know." He grinned at her teasingly. "Higurashi, I'm you're mother's legal ward now. You're stuck with me for two more years."  
  
Three veins popped out on Kagome's forehead. "YOU!!! You're annoying!" Inuki grabbed a tomato this time, and Kagome snatched the tomato and then the sandwich from him. "AND STOP EATING MY LUNCH!!"  
  
"Well," began Mama, "Since it IS your birthday! Would you like to go out tonight?" Inuki looked up at her proposition and grinned. "Hey, yeah! That would be great, Ms. Higurashi!" Mama smiled in delight and then turned to her daughter. "Kagome-chan, since you know this part of town better than Inuki-kun, why don't you go with him?"  
  
Kagome, secretly loving the idea of him being gone all night --first for play and then for work-- suddenly stopped, irked. "Whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa! Wait!! I don't want to spend the rest of my day off with him!!"  
  
Mama's face dropped into the basic disappointed-mother Look. "Kagome-chan, I thought you said you would try to get along with him. It disappoints me that you haven't." Mama sighed melodramatically.  
  
Kagome growled a bit, mostly to herself, and finally said, "Fine, I'll take him out."   
  
Instantaneously Mama turned back into herself. "Arigatou, Kagome-chan~! Oh look!! Tonight is the spring festival~!" She whipped out a paper flyer that she had been holding behind her back, and Kagome wondered if she had somehow set her up.  
  
The teen growled again to herself. *Ma~ma~!*  
  
~*~  
  
"Okay, just to make sure you understand this totally and fully!" Kagome said defiantly, "I'm not here for you, it's because Mama asked me." Inuki slipped on his denim jacket, chuckling to himself. "Yeah yeah, whatever. More like she MADE you. You oughta be happy though!" Inuki said seriously, and Kagome glared at him. "Why?"  
  
"You got a date with me~" Inuki teased, and Kagome blushed bright red. "This is NOT a date!" She roared, and Inuki laughed out loud. "Then why are you blushing?" the taller teenager asked cheerfully and Kagome pouted, crossing her arms. "Mou~!"  
  
*It's not a date.* She insisted to herself as they walked down the street. For tonight the street had been blocked off; as Mama had pointed out, the annual spring family event was tonight, and in full swing. Midway games, bad music and booths handing off everything from foreign treats to native delicacies lined the sidewalks, and in the street itself, people meandered like lost sheep.  
  
Personally Kagome loved festivals; she had ever since she was a child. But having to go with Inuki was like taking her little brother. Fortunately or unforunately (Kagome had yet to decide) Mama had tied that little monster at home with the promise of take-out pizza and rented movies.  
  
And Kagome was stuck on a date with her live-in pig. *It's not a date,* she insisted to herself, *I am NOT on a date with this JERK! Besides, who would take a girlfriend to a festival as a date!*   
  
Thwack.  
  
Kagome's mouth dropped open. Oh, he SO did not just hit her?! She turned to him, fire blazing in her eyes. Inuki wasn't fazed, his hand slightly raised in the gesture of having just fluffed her on the hair. "You're so spaced out you're drooling on yourself," he explained. Kagome gasped and wiped the spit from her mouth and sighed. "What do you want to do first?"  
  
Inuki grinned mischievously. "Heh heh~"  
  
~*~  
  
"You're pathetic," Kagome told the eating teenager, who was hunched over a bowl of ramen, much resembling a starving dog, and he glanced up at her. "What can I say, I love ramen. It's been my favorite since I was a baby. My mother used to add ramen flavoring to her breastmilk for me." He grinned triumphantly when Kagome squealed in disgust, and he waved a hand at her. "I'm just kidding, don't get your panties in a knot."  
  
She grimaced as he returned to his bowl. "Would you at least *act* like you're HUMAN? I mean, we're in public!"  
  
He sighed exaggeratedly and slowed his manic behavior, stopping every so often to open his bottle of Sprite and sip at it. He was halfway finished before he looked up at her. "You wanna go play some games next?"  
  
"Yeah," Kagome said. She stood up, sighing. Just because she was stuck with him didn't mean she had to have a bad night. She was determined to have fun.  
  
As with most festivals, the midway games were your basic, stupid games that were probably rigged to suck your of your money. The ring toss, dart throw, skee ball-- all that mess. Kagome KNEW that the games were set up to lose, but it didn't stop her from throwing a good deal of her money at it.  
  
She had already lost a good $40 dollars on the games --she had a REALLY good time-- when she found something she knew she could win, regardless of the rigging.  
  
Archery.  
  
"Aaaah, MOU!!" she cried out, stamping her feet as she watched amateurs fling arrows into the ground, snap themselves with the bowstring, accidentally poke themselves in the eye with the arrow. "I wish I had known this one was here, I have this BEAT!"  
  
Inuki snorted, having watched her lose her life's savings. He was pretty certain after the whole event that Higurashi wasn't good at anything except yelling at him. "Yeah ri~ight." He shifted his winnings to his other hip. He'd managed to beat the games despite the setup, and carried a bag of all sorts of candies and stuffed animals-- what he needed plush creatures for he hadn't decided yet.  
  
Kagome turned on him, sticking one finger in his face and shaking it. "I could prove it if I had a dollar."  
  
Inuki handed her a single dollar bill. "Prove it. But~ whatever you win you have to give to me."  
  
"What?!" she demanded, "Why?!"  
  
"It's my dollar bill," he pointed out.  
  
Kagome sighed and turned to the owner anyway. She would show that jerk a thing or two. "I'll take one arrow, okay?"  
  
"Just one?" he asked in surprise and she nodded. "One's all I'll need."  
  
Kagome set the arrowhead to the bow and pulled back on the bowstring. Her hand wavered slightly, considering her purse hung off one arm and acted as a weight against her aim. There were four targets: one at 5 feet, another at 10 feet, another at 25 and the last at 50. She looked over the target she'd chosen and aimed to overshoot, to make up for the extra weight and the unbalanced aim she would have regardless of the shot.  
  
Inuki stared. She was aiming a little too high, and for the red-and-white target that was farthest away, the 50 feet. "You'll never hit it, Higurashi," Inuki insisted, and Kagome tightened her shoulders, pulling her elbow in and her arm straightened. "I'll hit it. I never miss my mark anymore."   
  
She let go.  
  
In the instant she released it Inuki felt a jolt of deja vu go through his body. Instead of the navy patterned dress Higurashi was wearing, there was a bland green and white sailor style school uniform over her. She stood the same though, bow out in front of her, the other hand thrown back slightly with the recoil of the released bowstring. The same determined face.  
  
And it was one of many he'd seen before.  
  
As quickly as it had come, the vision was gone and with a sharp twang! the arrow flew and slammed directly into the center of the target. "Bullseye!" The booth owner roared, and some passersby who'd stopped to watch gave her a few cheers and applause. Inuki swallowed, trying to shake off the intensely cold feeling that had struck him when he saw it. *What...*  
  
Kagome lowered the bow, and the owner grinned at her, pulling out the grand prize. "For you, miss. That was an amazing shot!"  
  
Kagome graciously accepted it, bowing in thanks, and looked over her prize. A thin gold bracelet, very obviously a woman's. Without a doubt she wanted it, but then, she'd made that stupid bet with Inuki. Knowing him he would totally stick to it, regardless of the fact it was a woman's piece of jewelry.  
  
She handed it to him, feigning indifference. "Here." When he didn't take it instantly, Kagome glanced up at him. He was staring at her in confusion. "In too much of a shocked silence to accept what I won for you?"  
  
He shuddered slightly, as if he'd just woken from a daze, and reached out to take it finally, nodding as he did. "Sorry." He snapped the clasp closed and admired the way it hung from his left wrist. Then he grinned and was normal Inuki again. "Thanks!"  
  
She stuck her tongue out. "Well you're welcome, whether you meant that or not."  
  
By chance, Inuki glanced up, at the large clock tower in the middle of the square. 4:56 pm. He grimaced. "Ah shit~ I'm gonna be late for work if I don't hurry!"   
  
He shoved his bag of goodies at Kagome and the surprised girl haphazardly took it. Inuki nodded at her. "Thanks for comin' with me and don't take any of my stuff!" He turned to run off, but then stopped. "Oh yeah," he murmured, almost like an afterthought, and then turned back.  
  
He smiled the true smile she hardly ever saw on him. "That really was an awesome shot, Higurashi. I mean it." Kagome blushed slightly, and smiled then. "Thank you." He nodded, and turned again, running towards the bus stop. It was only just as he was out of sight that Kagome gasped as her own afterthought occurred to her. She took off after him, and caught up just as he was stepping onto the bus. "Yashagawa-kun!"  
  
He turned back and glanced at her, eyes wide. She smiled brightly. "Happy birthday."  
  
He grinned in thanks and flashed her a peace sign, and then stepped onto the bus. There was a winded whine as she bus' brakes disengaged and it pulled away. Kagome waited until she couldn't see it anymore before she turned back and headed back towards home, feeling strangely satisfied with herself.  
  
~*~ To be continued ~*~  
  
a/n :: Wheeeeeeeeeeeeee!!! Fluff, yes? Hee hee~ As always, please review! Okie, ja~!  
  
~*~ V^-^V ~*~   
  
~Tessen 


	7. Chapter 6 Always Protect You

Yaya!!! More Inuki and Kagome fluff! I think you guys like it~ lol ;p This (rather long) chapter was written with volume 2, chapter 9 in mind (that's eppie 7 of the anime, boys and girls) ^-^ But since Inuki has a bit more of an open personality than Inuyasha does, the ending is different~ Hope you enjoy!  
  
Disclaimer:: I dont own Inuyasha. But this story, the events and ideas belong to Kellye Strode, Tessenchan 2003.  
  
____________________________  
  
Inuki  
  
Chapter Six :: Always Protect You  
  
"Hey baby, why don't you and me get some lunch after school?"  
  
Shiori eyed the tall, lanky and unfamiliar senior, not really liking the way he scrutinized her small form, his eyes straying too long on her cleavage and hips, as meager as they were. She turned back towards the sidewalk and shook her head. "No thanks."   
  
The senior, whose school uniform she now recognized as Moshimori High's, jogged up behind her. Quickly two other boys, both tall, rather promiscuous looking and wearing the same uniform, appeared from in front of Shiori.  
  
"C'mon pumpkin, it's just lunch. We're buying, and maybe you can serve us a little... treat, after."  
  
Starting to get nervous, Shiori shook her head. "I said no already."  
  
"What's wrong with you honey, ya don't like the look of this hot stuff?" He gestured to himself and Shiori frowned, backed up against a tree as the three boys towered over her. "It's not that, really, it's just that... well, I have to get home to practice the piano and help my mother and I should really be home and all that..."  
  
"Plus you don't look like you 've bathed in six weeks you muscleheads." said another voice and they all glanced behind them. Kagome stood with her arms crossed, face angry. "She said no already, what else do you want?"  
  
"Babe, you got a problem with us asking your little friend here on a little four-way date?" asked one of the boys, and another smirked. "Maybe you're just jealous, huh? Never had a date eh sweet stuff?"  
  
"Not the kind you're wanting, Toshiba." said the angry former miko, and Lead Pig frowned. "How do you know my name?" Sighing, Kagome reached in between them and grabbed Shiori's hand, pulling the smaller girl away from them.   
  
"Any idiot who watches television knows about you scum. Toshiba Ryou, Morioka Kenji, and Watanabe Arata. You three have been on TV since you were my age. For both good and bad reasons." She raised her eyebrows. "You wouldn't want to get into MORE trouble would you? Get kicked off the Moshimori soccer team again this season? Make your parents dish out even more money to get you BACK on? AGAIN?"  
  
Lead Pig aka Toshiba frowned. "Whatever. We'll just hafta chat with you later Higurashi, about the way you treat your elders." The three pigs shuffled away.  
  
As they walked away, Shiori sighed, her hand to her chest. "Wow, thanks alot, Kagome-chan... I just never know how to deal with that. Guys like them scare me." Kagome smiled. "No problem. Just don't let them back you up like that. Guys like that are total pigs!"  
  
Shiori laughed nervously. "Y-yeah, I guess."  
  
~*~  
  
Her hands were warm on his face. The silver streams of tears ran down her cheeks as her mouth worked his name soundlessly over and over. He mouthed something mindless at her, his hoarse voice not audible over her cries. He tried to reach up to her, but couldn't move his hands.  
  
His body was cold, numb, and where he could still feel there was the lukewarm feel of liquid around him. His blood. He knew that by now. Chilling underneath his very hands, drenching his clothes, pulling his soul downward....  
  
Behind her, shadowed faces of his friends. A child, another girl, and a man. What were their names? He couldn't remember. It was so dark.  
  
His eyes slid closed and he took a shuddering gasp as the blood filled his lungs. "Kagome...!" He choked on the word. Not just the word. He was choking on his own blood. Is this how Death was? Was he really going to die like this? Without having said anything? Without telling her how he felt?  
  
Please let her hear me! ...Kagome... Kagome!!  
  
"KAGOME!"  
  
Inuki sat up in bed with a yell, panting. He sat still for a moment, unable to move. His body was drenched in a cold sweat, his heart pounding against his chest frantically.  
  
He surveyed the room. Not a rocky, desecrated battlefield. His bed. He wasn't bleeding, hell he wasn't even wounded. His head hurt. He finally breathed out shakily, pressing the heels of his hands against his eyes. *I can't take this anymore... goddamn nightmare...*  
  
"Inuki-niichan?"  
  
Inuki peered from the bottom bunk up at Souta, who looked like he'd just peed the bed against his will. Inuki winced, realizing he must've woken the boy when he cried out in his sleep. "Sorry kid, didn't mean to wake you up..."  
  
"That's okay, it's not a problem..." the boy murmured softly in the dark, and made a sound like he was trying to decide whether or not to ask a particular question. He finally just shook his head and shrugged the matter off. "I'm gonna go back to sleep then, if you're okay, Inuki-niichan."  
  
"Yeah, go on back to bed," the teen agreed, standing up and tying back his loose hair in a ponytail. He headed out of the room, looking to find something to get his mind off the recurring and, as of recent, much more chilling nightmare. Every night the details got more and more... detailed.  
  
He turned to shut the door behind him, and then let out another yell when he turned to see Kagome standing in front of him. "WAH!"  
  
"Kyaaaaa!!" the girl screamed also, merely out of surprise that he'd yelled at all. "What is the matter with you!?" she demanded finally, and Inuki grit his teeth. "You scared the crap out of me!"  
  
"I scared you? You scared me!!! Quit yelling, you idiot!" she ordered and Inuki growled to himself some curse before stepping around her. "Woman..."  
  
Kagome watched him head down the stairs, concerned. His shoulders seemed to sag with some great burden, and the weary expression on his face was very unlike him. She'd woken up when she heard him yell her name, and knew something was wrong instantly. He didn't call her by her first name.  
  
Plus there was that whole she scared him thing. Only if he was really off his game would he not smell her or hear her coming.  
  
She darted into her room and grabbed her robe, flinging it on as she headed down the stairs. Inuki was in the kitchen, standing at the sink, filling a glass of water. She watched him take some aspirin and then walked in, concerned. People didn't wake up just because of a random headache. He heard her coming this time and turned, surprised.   
  
"Why are you still up?" he wondered and she shrugged, sliding into her chair. "Couldn't sleep."  
  
He looked back at the glass. "Me neither..."  
  
"Is something wrong?" Kagome asked and Inuki shook his head. "No, nothing. At least, nothing I have to worry about. It happens all the time....."  
  
Kagome drew circles on the table with her finger before looking back up at him. "What does?"  
  
"Nothing." Inuki walked towards the table and slid into his chair quietly, leaning against his hand and idly drumming his fingers on the table. His nails were longer again, she noticed. Kagome watched him for a moment before reaching out and gently resting her hand on his, stopping the incessant drumming and clacking of his long nails.   
  
Inuki released a breath he hasn't realized he'd been holding. Kagome raised her eyebrows. "Yashagawa-kun..."  
  
"I'm okay," he told her quickly, "Everyone has nightmares."  
  
Kagome nodded, her face commiserating. "But you look really shaken up."  
  
He shook his head. "No, it's just... I've had this same dream since I was a kid. When I was little it used to scare me really bad. It only came sometimes back then... but for the past few years, I've had it almost every night..." He rubbed the bridge of his nose, sighing.   
  
"It's not so much that it scares me anymore, but just that... I don't understand it. The emotions in it are so real... I wake up and I feel like my heart is breaking. Like the most important part of me was torn away from me, and I wasn't ready for her to go."  
  
Kagome watched him for a moment before glancing down and abruptly realizing she was still holding his hand. She snatched it away in embarrassed surprise, and Inuki blushed also, staring at the table numbly.  
  
Kagome studied the whorl patterns in the wood before looking up. "Are you... I mean... 'her?'" She recalled what he'd said, 'wasn't ready for HER to go,' and it stuck out in her mind. Inuki? With a special 'her' someone?   
  
Not likely. The boy could hardly compliment her without 85% of it being insult; working that into a dating system was just funny to Kagome. As if to set it in stone, Inuki just stared at her, his face saying, 'Like I'm gonna tell you.'   
  
Kagome sighed at his bullheadedness. "Do you know what it's about?"  
  
Inuki nodded his head. "It shows me what Death is like. I'm dying."  
  
Kagome looked horrified at this revelation, and Inuki gasped. "In the dream! Not for real!"  
  
She sighed with relief, then gave him a reprimanding glare. "Don't scare me like that."  
  
He smiled faintly. "Thanks, Higurashi."  
  
She blinked. "For what?"  
  
Inuki just grinned, and then he stood. "I'm going back to bed. See ya in the morning."  
  
Kagome stared after him in consternation.  
  
~*~  
  
"GOAL! Takahashi wins by four points!!"  
  
In the stands Kagome jumped to her feet and cheered loudly, clapping. At her side, Mama and Souta also leapt for joy, scattering Jiichan with popcorn. The old man's annoyed groans went unnoticed as the trio filed out towards the field where Team Takahashi was partying it up.  
  
The referee managed to get Team Takahashi and Team Moshimori lined up to shake each other's hands, and afterward both teams dispersed.   
  
Kagome went up to Inuki, trying to ignore how damn hot he looked in his navy and dark red soccer uniform. He looked down at her, grinning elatedly. He was out of breath from running to score the final goal and his hair clung to his face with sweat. She resisted to urge to pluck off the long strands from his forehead.  
  
"Hey," he huffed, and she grinned at him. "That was awesome." He shrugged. "Thanks, but.. coulda been better. I messed up in the third quarter."  
  
"You did fine," Mama insisted, and then smiled, clapping her hands together emphatically. "Why don't you go get cleaned up and then we'll go grab a bite to eat! In celebration of Takahashi School's win."  
  
There were three cheers of various intensity, the boys being the loudest. Mama nodded and went with Jiichan to start the car, bringing Souta along. Kagome leaned against the brick wall outside the boy's locker room to wait for Inuki.  
  
He was in and out, coming out wearing his typical torn jeans and basic shirt/overshirt combo. Kagome smiled at him as he hefted his duffel bag and turned down the hallway towards the guest parking. "So, where so you want to go? Wacdonald's? That's so redundant now, but I bet Souta will... Yashagawa-kun?"  
  
Kagome glanced up at him. The boy had stopped, his face tight. She looked up at what he was looking at, and swallowed nervously. The doors just out of the hallway had been darkened by the looming figures of three boys.  
  
It was Toshiba, Morioka and Watanabe.  
  
"What do you three want?" Inuki wondered.  
  
"Just a little chat with Higurashi there," Toshiba said, "We'll get her back to you when we're through."  
  
Inuki glanced at Kagome sideways. She was a little pale, her eyes wide. She was clinging to his arm a little, unconsciously. He looked back at the Moshimori seniors. "Sorry, I don't think she wants to go with you."  
  
"Move it, Yashagawa, or we'll move you ourselves." Watanabe threatened, and at that Inuki raised his eyebrows defiantly. "Try it."  
  
Toshiba threw the first punch, and Inuki deftly dodged to the side, and in one motion grabbed Toshiba's hair and pulled him down onto his knee. Kagome gave a yell of surprise and Inuki grabbed her by her sweater, yanking her forward with him.  
  
"Get out of here~" he ordered, tossing her his duffel bag, and Kagome gasped aloud. "What about you?!"  
  
Inuki didn't reply right away, he was busy dodging and parrying a flurry of Watanabe's punches. He caught the bulkier boy's fist and went forward with his elbow, pounding into Watanabe's nose. The guy gave a yelp of pain and reeled, and Inuki looked up at Kagome. "They'll just chase us if I go now! I'll be fine, go on ahead, I'll be right behind you!"  
  
"But--" Kagome gasped aloud when Morioka kneed Inuki in the stomach, and he went down, cursing loudly. Morioka reached down and grabbed Inuki by his hair, dragging him back to his feet, and he was met when a solid uppercut to the jaw and a roundhouse kick. Morioka slid across the slick linoleum.  
  
Inuki stepped back and into Toshiba, who caught the smaller boy by the elbows, docking his ability to move much, and he swung him face-first into the brink wall. Reeling, Inuki twisted, trying to free one arm to fight back, but Toshiba brought up his knee in a painful blow to Inuki's kidneys.   
  
When Inuki cried out Kagome felt an old emotion flare to life inside her again. She found herself wishing Toshiba was a demon so she could dust the jerk. Instead she raced at him.  
  
"You jerk, let go of him!" She swung Inuki's duffel bag at the lug's head, and a satisfying crack was heard when Inuki's soccer cleats, which were in the bag, came into fierce contact with Toshiba's face. He let go and stumbled back, and Inuki cursed at her. "I said get out of here, why are you still here?"  
  
"You can't beat all of them by yourself, you idiot, stop being so noble!"  
  
"Can't help it," he growled, and turned his intense brown eyes on her. "I'm gonna protect you. Whether you like it or not."  
  
Kagome caught her breath, blinking. Did he just say he would protect me? "But Yashagawa-kun..."  
  
He stood then, grabbing her around the waist and darting forward as Watanabe, nose bleeding, punched at him. He left her at the wall. "Fine. Stay here and watch."  
  
He flew back into the fray, taking out Watanabe again, this time with a kick between the legs. Morioka came charging back and the pair exchanged blows, Inuki catching a fist to the jaw. Inuki knocked him to the ground with a leg sweep and then punched into his gut, leaving the senior writhing on the floor.  
  
Toshiba came back fiercely and pounded Inuki in the stomach. Doubled over, Inuki kicked back, slamming his heel into Toshiba's forehead. The senior reeled backward and Inuki went forward, his right arm pumping forward. He caught Toshiba in the temple and the bigger guy went down.  
  
Three Moshimori soccer members lay sprawled in the Takahashi gym floor, unconscious.   
  
Inuki turned and he and Kagome met eyes. She gaped at him, surprised. He looked fairly roughed up, but wasn't even close to Inuyasha, even on one of the hanyou's better days. But for a human... Inuki reached out and took Kagome's hand, pulling her to her feet.   
  
For a moment she stared up in wonder at him, and Inuki turned, taking his duffel bag. "Let's go."  
  
~*~  
  
"Ow!"   
  
"Don't yell at me, loudmouth," Kagome admonished and Inuki nodded, wincing again as she dabbed at small wound on his arm.   
  
"Fine," he agreed, and then stated nobly, "Ow. That stings."  
  
"Ha ha, you're funny." She moved away, rinsing the washcloth and then reapplying some antiseptic and pressing it to a wound on his temple.   
  
He flinched and made a pained sound, and Kagome bit her lip. "Sorry." She dabbed away some of the blood and then set down the cloth, fetching a bandage as she did.   
  
Inuki settled back against the table. "You don't have to take care of me," he said softly, and Kagome eyed him briefly as she applied the Band-Aid. "Yes I do. You got hurt protecting me."  
  
Inuki's eyebrows knit with that insatiable irritation he got with her when she acted like he was a guest in her house and not a friend. "Don't act like it's something you have to repay, that was my decision. And I would do it again."  
  
Kagome looked at him, swallowing. His face was so close. He hadn't taken his eyes off her, and she was starting to get the fluttery feeling she used to get when Inuyasha had looked at her that way. It was disturbing how much he looked like Inuyasha, and yet looked enough like his own person that she knew it wasn't him.  
  
Kagome looked away even as her face turned red. Inuki noticed her reaction to him but chose not to call her on it; she looked like she had enough embarrassment in her own head. Instead he looked over his minor wounds and the various Band-Aids.   
  
"Thanks Higurashi," he said and Kagome nodded, her voice hardly audible. "Sure." Aggravated with her meek silence, he leaned over, brushing his nose against hers, and she blushed a glowing red from the roots over her hair down her neck. He only did it to get her attention, and sure enough it worked.  
  
"You gonna thank me or what?"  
  
She stopped, irked. "Huh?" He shrugged. "Well, I saved your life. Who knows what those punks would've done to you? Don't I get a little thanks?"  
  
Kagome narrowed one eye, a single vein popping out on her forehead. How dare he call her on that! Wasn't dressing his wounds, however minor, thanks enough? Plus he'd said he would have done it whether she wanted him to or not! He wanted thanks for his own decision?  
  
She stood, preparing for a good rant when he stood up also, pressing a hand over her mouth. "Yeesh, I was just kidding. Don't get all riled up."  
  
He turned to head out of the living room, but stopped at the door and turned back to her. She was gathering the antiseptic ointment and bandages back into her first aid kit, muttering under her breath about men. He knew who she was, a strong, fiery and resourceful girl, but despite that, she looked so very small and fragile. He knew she could be hurt. Easily.   
  
He never wanted to see her hurt. He never wanted to see her cry. "Higurashi."  
  
Kagome looked up in surprise. She'd thought he had left the room in favor of something a bit more comfortable, like his bed. Seeing him still standing there, watching her, was perplexing. "Hm?"  
  
"I'll always be there to protect you. I promise."  
  
His face was resolute. There was no hesitation, no doubt, in his eyes. Only determination. And Kagome could see Inuyasha shining through. Her strong, capable hanyou in the form of the human boy who had dropped into her life and into the seat next to her in homeroom. She smiled.   
  
"Thank you."  
  
~*~ To be continued ~*~  
  
a/n :: Awh, how sweet~ Did you like? Please review and lemme know!!! Questions, comments, ideas~? ^-^ You guys know I love it! Peace~  
  
~*~ V^-^V ~*~   
  
~Tessen 


	8. Chapter 7 Shopping

Chapter 7 was inspired by Bejipan~ ^-^ Thank you for the idea!  
  
Disclaimer:: ::ignores lawyers:: Dance all day~ Dance all night~ V^0^V  
  
____________________________  
  
Inuki  
  
Chapter Seven :: Shopping  
  
Kagome set down her pencil and relaxed her neck, stretching a bit as she did. There was a stick of plumeria incense lit, giving her fresh, clean room a sweet scent to it. She'd gotten home that evening and gone through a spring cleaning mood before starting her studies, and so her once spotless room was now covered with books and papers.   
  
She hadn't even left her room, to eat or anything, which was odd, considering she'd been at it for a couple of hours and by the second hour Inuki or Souta had dragged her downstairs to do something fun. But then, it was Thursday, so Souta was downstairs watching his favorite program and Inuki was at work. No distractions. The perfect time to study.  
  
The smell of dinner cooking downstairs stirred Kagome from her studies. She looked towards the door, then at her books, and her stomach gave a rumble of protest as she turned back towards the books.  
  
Shrugging, she stood and headed downstairs. In the living room, Souta sat tuned in to the virtual world, every so often managing to get his fork up to his mouth. Kagome kept towards the kitchen, where Jiichan was reading the paper at the table and Mama stood at the stove, fixing Jiichan and herself a plate.  
  
Kagome made her own plate and ate quickly, wanting to get back to her room and get in as much studying as she could before bedtime. After she finished, Kagome stretched, thanked her mother and started back towards her books, until Mama called, "Kagome-chan?"   
  
The teen deadpanned. *Hardly out of the kitchen. I knew she had something for me to do, she couldn't help herself.* She turned back and said sweetly, "Yes ma'am?" After a moment, Mama turned to her and Kagome blinked in confusion at the obento box was presented to her.  
  
Kagome looked at the carefully wrapped box and then at Mama. She smiled. "I ate already, Mama."  
  
"This is Inuki-kun's. I want you to go take it to him!" Mama smirked proudly.  
  
Kagome frowned. "Mama, he's at work! He can stop by Wacdonald's or something on the way home and get his own dinner."   
  
Mama waggled her finger in her daughter's face. "Tsk tsk Kagome-chan. Allowing Inuki-kun to just eat take-out every night!! He deserves a home-cooked meal and you will take this to him!!"   
  
Kagome sighed in defeat and practically snatched the box from her mother. *She hates me...*  
  
~*~  
  
"Here you go, your change is $11.54; have a good evening."   
  
Inuki handed the bag of movies to the customer along with the change and turned back to the job at hand. He was checking returned videos to make sure all the tapes were in the right boxes and so on, when the familiar scent of honey and plumeria wafted under his sensitive nose.   
  
He felt that flutter of security that he always got when he smelled her. And strangely, hunger. Kagome brought with her the distinct smell of rice, veggies and fish in soy. He raised an eyebrow before turning to see her.  
  
She was standing in from of him, holding a box out to him. It surprised him enough to see her there; holding a box out at him even. He blinked as she smiled at him. "Here you go," she said, and Inuki reached out to take the box.  
  
"What is this...?" he wondered, and Kagome shrugged. "Dinner. Mama wanted to make sure you ate."   
  
Inuki smiled faintly. "I could've walked down to the Wacdonalds and bought dinner... she didn't have to do this."  
  
"She wanted you to have a home cooked meal." Inuki looked surprised again, and then softened. "I'll have to tell her thanks when we get home."  
  
Kagome looked irked. Something about the way he said that... "What's 'we' supposed to mean?" she demanded, "I'm going home now, buddy, I'm not waiting around for two more hours to walk home with you." The boy laughed as he typed something into the computer. "What I mean is that I'm getting off early!"  
  
Kagome's mouth hung open. "You mean I walked down here for nothing?" He grinned, mocking her. "Not for nothing, my honey. Thanks for the dinner!" She punched his shoulder as he slipped on his windbreaker and turned to the other worker behind the counter. "See you Sunday, Takeo."   
  
He followed Kagome out of the video rental store and stretched as he breathed in the cool night air. "It feels good to be outta there early." Kagome nodded. "I guess so. I don't 'work' work, you know..."  
  
"Nah, you're an even better person than me, Higurashi. I'm actually asking for payment for my work. You're a volunteer. That's a good thing to be," what was he tried to say. It came out, "Hmph, pretty much. You're like a little hospital slave. Work your ass off for nothing."  
  
Kagome didn't seem to mind the comment; she rolled her eyes and kept walking, Inuki sauntering behind and mentally thunking himself in the head.  
  
As they travelled the downtown shops, Inuki watched Kagome closely. Her birthday was in three days and he wanted to get her something. Problem was, he had no idea what he could get her; even after living with her for a month he wasn't sure was she liked.  
  
So he kept an eye on her for anything that made her eyes light up or made her squeal with delight. It happened outside the toy store, of all places. *And she's supposed to be how old again? 16? Uh-huh,* he thought to himself.  
  
"Kawaii~!!!!!" she squealed, placing both hands up against the glass, and Inuki walked over from a perfume stand. He peered in at what she was looking at and instantly winced inside.  
  
It was a stuffed animal. Your basic plush creature, but it was the creature itself that made him gag. A fox.  
  
It was cute, your basic stuffed fox. Bright brown-red faux fur, black tipped tail and ears, and it was wearing a night-sky printed bandanna, complete with stars, the moon and little bunnies making rice balls. Cute.  
  
He hated it.  
  
He had never much liked foxes much. He didn't know why. He thought they were annoying, always twitching their little noses and waving their furry tails and playing tricks on people and stealing his ramen--  
  
His eyes snapped wide open. *What?!*  
  
A little boy, about 4 or 5, with auburn hair and freckles. A kitsune tail twitched behind him as he laughed and jumped up into Kagome's arms. She was wearing the green school uniform again. He could see them in his head. The vision appeared in the same manner as the one that had happened on his birthday, and disappeared as quickly. Inuki stopped short, irked. Kagome looked at him. "Yashagawa-kun?"  
  
He didn't respond right away, and she poked him in the shoulder. "Hey!"  
  
At that he snapped back to reality. "Huh? Oh, sorry."  
  
Kagome narrowed her eyes. Inuki smiled, waving his hand dismissively. "It's nothing, it's nothing. I'm fine."   
  
Kagome raised her eyebrows. "You've done this before." Inuki shrank back a bit, embarrassed. "Uhm... done what, exactly?"  
  
"You just go off in your own little world sometimes. You stand there looking like a drone, eyes as big as dinner plates, and I can snap my fingers in front of your face as much as I want and you won't blink until you want to. What is it you're seeing?" He shrugged. "Nothing! It doesn't make any sense, it's not a problem. Don't worry about it. Do you like the fox?"  
  
Kagome blinked a couple of times, surprised at how quickly he'd switched subjects, and nodded. "Y-yeah... I do."  
  
He nodded once and walked past her, into the store. A few minutes later he came back out, the fox in hand. Kagome squealed at it, hugging it like a little girl with a cherished doll. She looked up at him. "Thank you!! What is this for?"  
  
"Early birthday present," he replied, and Kagome looked up at him in awe. Then her face scrunched up into a little pout. "But.. I didn't get you anything for your birthday."  
  
Inuki laughed at her, and then lifted his left arm. Around his wrist the gold bracelet hung, glinting in the streetlights. "You got this for me, didn't you?"  
  
Kagome blinked at him before giggling, turning her face down in a shy little girl's grin. She held the fox-toy close to her breast, smiling. "Thanks. I'm going to name him--"  
  
"Shippou."  
  
Kagome's head snapped up and she stared at Inuki. He was doing it again; the distant, faraway look that told her he wasn't really right next to her. He was somewhere else, somewhere, she hoped, that was 500 years in the past. She pursed her lips in wonder. *I wonder if he's remembering...? Remembering his life as Inuyasha?* After a moment she shook her head. *Not good to get my hopes up.*  
  
She nodded with a smile. "Shippou sounds nice."  
  
~*~ To be continued ~*~  
  
a/n :: Wheee!!! This story reminds me of cotton candy; it's fluffy and can give you cavities. (is that bad, maybe? ::shudder::) Anyway~! Thank you, Bejipan for the idea (I liked it, was cutie) And anyone else who has an idea, send them in, I'll see what I can do! ^_~V  
  
Please review! Next chapter will be up soon~  
  
~*~ V^-^V ~*~   
  
~Tessen 


	9. Chapter 8 Full Moon

Disclaimer: Inuyasha wo shoyuu shitenai ze. Ba~~ka. ^_~V  
  
____________________________  
  
Inuki  
  
Chapter Eight :: Full Moon  
  
A invasive ray of morning sunlight broke through Kagome's purple curtains and the former miko rolled over in bed, groaning. Fur nuzzled her nose and she opened one eye, glaring at Buyo. The chunky cat nyaa'ed at her and rolled over himself, and Kagome smiled sleepily, reaching out and cuddling the cat. How many years had she had him now? Ten, to the very day.  
  
"Happy birthday Buyo." she murmured. After a moment she sat up, flopping out of bed and making her way downstairs to the bathroom. On the kitchen wall, a picture of a mini waterfall and tons of lilacs overlooked the calendar that read: May 11th, 1998.  
  
Inuki, surprisingly, was up already and in the living room playing some fighting game with Souta, the two of them were getting nice and rambunctious. Kagome was certain she'd have a headache before her party even started.  
  
In the kitchen, Jiichan was standing on a ladder, arguing with a ribbon of uncooperative crepe paper, and Mama was watching him to be sure the old man didn't fall, as well as her other job as Balance, the duties of which were to say "Up" or "Down" accordingly.  
  
In regards to the placement of the crepe paper and other miscellaneous party decor, that is.  
  
There was a nice scent of baked goods, and Kagome grinned at the scent. Her birthday cake! She walked in with a smile, giving her mother a morning hug. "Happy 16th," Mama greeted her, and Kagome smiled. "Thanks, Mama."  
  
"Are you certain you want to have the confounded party --God curse all crepe paper!-- rather than just go out to eat like Inuki did?" Jiichan demanded, and Kagome winced at the sight of her grandfather, who was now wrapped in enough crepe paper to look like a mummy.  
  
"Yes," she replied to Mummy-Jiichan, "It's my sweet 16th birthday! The most important one! All my friends will be here!" *Except the ones I want to be here the most.*  
  
"Well all right, Kagome dear, if you... unk... insist."  
  
"Jiichan, let me help you out of that," Mama offered.  
  
The phone rang and seeing that Mama was obviously busy, Kagome made a move to answer. "Hello, Higurashi residence.... Good morning, Sorayama-san, I-- Oh." She made a face. "Oh I see. Yes, give me ten minutes."  
  
She hung up and then threw the biggest tantrum she ever had in her life.  
  
For Kagome was quickly deciding there were things in life she would forever despise. Seaweed, humidity and volunteers who were absent on their day to work, forcing her to work for them.  
  
~*~  
  
It was just after 2 pm when Kagome finally made it home. Figures that her one, single, the-only-one-that-would-ever-happen-in-her-lifetime 16th birthday would be the day all the crazies were out. Inuki greeted her at the door. "Welcome home. Have a nice day at work?"  
  
"Bite me," she growled, "Do you have ANY idea what I had to put up with today?"  
  
"Uhm, no?"  
  
Kagome flung off her shoes and threw down her purse. "Sick, snot-nosed kids; old people who couldn't quite hear me on account of they had something called a HEARING AID stuck in their ears; a rude but young, disgustingly cute doctor; and a nurse who not only likes to drive the young, disgustingly cute doctor bonkers so he's even ruder than usual but this woman has an affinity with his butt! I swear she must've groped him fourteen times while I was there."   
  
Kagome kicked at her shoes in frustration. "That.. That PLACE is not a hospital; it's an insane asylum!!"  
  
Inuki smiled. "I had a good day too."  
  
She smiled faintly at his good attitude. She'd sorta missed him today. She stretched and glanced into the living room where Souta was sitting patiently in front of a PAUSE screen. She sighed. "Souta, have you moved at all today?"  
  
Her little brother looked up. "Yeah. I think I was lying on my stomach when you left."  
  
Kagome rolled her eyes and walked into the kitchen. After the day she'd had all she wanted was a nice, steamy bubble bath and then to lounge in her soft, fluffy bed, but she had a party to wait for, so that was sorta out of the question.   
  
She settled for soda and Cheezie Puffs.  
  
An hour or two passed. Slowly, the sounds of Gackt and E.M.U. washed the memory of the horrible day away and she wandered downstairs to prepare for the party; Yuka-chan and the others would be arriving soon. She gathered the empty soda cans and the crumbs of her long-gone Cheezie Puffs and as she headed towards the kitchen to dispose of the garbage she heard the most horrible slime come from someone's mouth.   
  
That someone sounded remarkably like Inuki, and if Kagome had thought she had heard every insult in the book being with Inuyasha --the hanyou did seem to have a way with words-- she was sadly mistaken. Either mistaken or she just hadn't seen his full potential.   
  
If what he'd uttered on his best days was indeed his best, Inuki had him beat.  
  
Sitting Inuki in front of the Gamecube console with Souta as his opponent was sort of like asking the older boy 'Try to come up with the worst, most colorful insult you can using only every single curse word you know of.'  
  
Kagome pulled open the living room door, where Inuki and Souta were --surprise, surprise-- STILL seated in front of the TV, and whether or not Inuki was letting the younger boy win or not hadn't quite been made clear, but what WAS certain was that Souta was kicking his ass, and in a bad way.   
  
"YOU BRAT!" Inuki roared, jumping to his feet, fingers still clacking against the Gamecube controller's buttons in a manic pace. "OKAY, last time!! I'll beat you this time!"  
  
"Eat it, fuzzface, I'm gonna win again!!" Souta yelled confidently, and Inuki growled low in his throat, sending the elfin-eared sword-bearing character spinning at Souta's character, and with one swipe of the huge one-eyed sword the opposite character had, "Nightmare" brought down "Link."  
  
"NO!" Inuki glared at him. "Dammit! What are you!?! Superhuman?!!"  
  
Souta just grinned, and went on playing while Inuki turned towards the table to finish what appeared to be his weekend homework, muttering more obscenities under his breath. He looked up for a moment and met Kagome's gaze, and instinctively knew by the look on her face she had been watching him.  
  
"What?" he demanded, using anger to hide his embarrassment, and Kagome shook her head, openly blushing as she too abruptly realized how long she had been staring at him. "N-Nothing..."  
  
"Keh," was his only response as he reached out for his pencil, and abruptly his long nails knocked it away. Kagome pretended not to notice, as she had mentioned his nails to him before and was viciously put back in her place by him for her concern.   
  
But it was hard not to pay attention when he muttered under his breath, "Dammit, they're this long already...?"   
  
Accent on 'already.'   
  
Curiosity piqued.  
  
He crawled on his knees over to the small table in the corner and pulled out the nail clippers, hunching over them and carefully cutting away the excess fingernail. He looked annoyed as he did so. Kagome was tempted to ask again, but it was rude to do so after he had plainly told her to screw off.   
  
Curiosity killed the cat. *But,* Kagome hmphed, *…satisfaction brought it back!*  
  
"Yashagawa-kun?" He looked up at her, his I'm-going-to-kill-you-if-you-ask-about-my-nails expression darker than usual. "What?"  
  
She gestured to his hands. "How often do you clip your nails? Didn't you just do it last night?"  
  
The black eyes narrowed. "What of it?"  
  
Kagome blinked, trying not to sound rude or nosy and failing on the nosy part. "Your nails grow awfully fast." He turned back to his nails and snapped, "Mind your own business."  
  
She sighed and sat at the table, scanning Newtype boredly. Inuki came back to the table also, all ten fingernails now short and neat, and he glared at Kagome as she examined his hands out of the corner of her eye. "What already?" he demanded again, and she blushed, looking up at his face. "Sorry."  
  
And then she did a double take. The roots of his hair were... silver. Impossible. Inuki's hair was all black. But no, it stood out like a sore thumb. Underneath his bangs and at his temple, strands of silvery-white were starting to spring up. And his eyes seemed a lighter brown than usual.  
  
"Yashagawa-kun..." She began, pointing.  
  
"If it's about my hair, I know already, so stop staring at me!" he yelled abruptly, slamming his pencil down. "I go through this every full moon, so just DROP IT!" And with that he stood, and she sat, transfixed as his footsteps headed down the hall.  
  
*What's going on?*  
  
She let him alone for several minutes so he could cool off, as he was prone to need that occasionally. But when she saw him stomp out of his and Souta's room towards the entryway, his overstuffed backpack over his shoulder, she jumped up. "Hey, where are you going?"  
  
"To Shiina's. I'm gonna stay over the night," Inuki replied, and Kagome gasped, running in front of him and blocking the door. "No!! You can't go, tonight's the party."  
  
Inuki looked down at her. "I already gave you your birthday present, Higurashi, and I'm not too good at parties."  
  
Kagome's face crinkled. "But... it's my birthday. It won't be the same without you here." Her bottom lip started to quiver of its own volition and Inuki gawped. Was she actually crying? About the damned party???  
  
Instantly he gave in. "Fine, fine fine! I'll stay," he dropped his bag at his feet, looking down at her in helpless defeat. "I'll stay, okay? Turn off the waterworks." Kagome sniffled and wiped at her eyes.   
  
"Thanks."  
  
She bounded away to get dressed and Inuki looked outside at the sun. It hung low in the sky, a bright golden orb whose light seeped out and turned the sky around it pinkish orange. Only two hours until sunset.  
  
He clenched a fist. "Dammit, it'll be night soon."  
  
~*~  
  
"Yuka-chan, have you seen Yashagawa-kun?"   
  
Kagome frowned, continuing her path around the house, looking pretty and light in a white party dress, a long thin navy bow in the back. She was wearing her present from Mama and Jiichan, a beautiful silver pendant. Her hair was in light curls, waving in a dark frame around her pretty face.  
  
Throughout the rest of the day, Kagome's contact with Inuki had been scarce at best. He had taken to some hiding spot, where exactly she wasn't sure, but he refused to make himself known at all.   
  
"No," Yuka replied honestly, to which Shiori, Ayumi and Eri also agreed they had not seen him. Houjou looked up at Kagome from the dinner Mama had prepared. "I saw someone outside, Higurashi, but I don't think it was Yashagawa-san. He had white hair."  
  
Kagome frowned. White? Or silver, she wondered? She nodded and looked at her friends. "I'll be back inside in a little bit. Wait for me, okay?"  
  
Kagome made her way outside, towards the front of the shrine. As she stood under the base of the Goshinboku, memories of Inuyasha came sifting back to the front. She pushed them down and looked up into the branches. "Yashagawa-kun, it's dinnertime."  
  
"I'm not hungry," he replied in a low, husky voice, and Kagome sighed. Well, she was right about his choice of hiding places, at least. 500 years of reincarnation and he really hadn't changed at all. "Come on, everyone's already here, the party's started. I wanted you to be here. And you haven't eaten all day. I KNOW you're hungry."  
  
As if to compliment her remark, Inuki's stomach emitted a loud rumbling, loud enough that he was sure Kagome had heard. He brushed a hand through his hair. "I'll eat later, I don't want to come down now. You'll see me."  
  
"Unless you turn yourself invisible I'll see you later too." No reply. She sighed, stamping one high-heeled shoe. "Look, we're living together for who knows how long so why don't you come down and get this over with? You'll still be here next full moon too. And the one after that, and the one after that~ AND the one after that..."  
  
There was a soft growling noise from the tree's branches, something that sounded particularly like Inuyasha's old growl, or just a dog in general. There was a rustling of trees branches and Inuki said, "All right, I'm coming down. But don't you dare stare at me."  
  
Kagome promised, her voice triumphant, and in a moment there was a silver-white blur that dropped to the ground. Inuki stood, his hair shining white in the light of the rising full moon, and Kagome's mouth dropped open.  
  
In the few hours since afternoon, Inuki's hair had bleached itself completely. He'd pulled his hair from its usual braid, and it hung down his back, down to his thighs. His eyes had changed colors, from brown to solid amber-gold. His human ears remained the same, but for his hair and eyes and the claws that had again regrown, you would have thought he was Inuyasha.  
  
Kagome did.  
  
Her eyes filled with tears, hands clenched at her side. She stood unmoving, unable to tear her eyes away from her hanyou, even despite the fact everything in her knew and screamed that he had died.   
  
He couldn't be dead. He was standing right in front of her. Her hands covered her mouth. "Inuyasha..."  
  
His face twisted, but before the boy could even begin to get angry, Kagome swooned, and collapsed against his chest. She hardly heard him call her name before she passed out.  
  
"Higurashi!!"  
  
As she fell into the darkness, she shook her head as much as her body would allow. *No, call me Kagome... you stupid hanyou... Call me Kagome.. like you used to...*  
  
~*~ To be continued ~*~  
  
a/n :: Okay, before anyone goes insane on me ^-^ I promise to explain why Inuki is changing (in a later chapter; God don't you just wanna hit me~ ;p) And it is not because he's turning into Inuyasha. That will NOT happen. Inuki is Inuki and that's that.  
  
Please review and tell me what you think! I really wanna know! Okie, ja~!  
  
~*~ V^-^V ~*~   
  
~Tessen 


	10. Chapter 9 Aching Heart

Disclaimer: Inuyasha wo shoyuu shitenai ze. Ba~~ka. ^_~V  
  
____________________________  
  
Inuki  
  
Chapter Nine :: Aching Heart  
  
It felt like she had slept forever. She had been dreaming, but at that one moment between sleeping and awake, she had forgotten it. All she could recall was seeing his silver hair, glowing ethereally in the moonlight. The warmth of his chest and the sound of his heartbeat as she fell into his arms. She wished he would hold her again.  
  
"Hey, she's waking up," she heard his voice say and Kagome rolled over, grasping the hand that lay on the soft covers next to her. "Inuyasha..."  
  
An aggravated, disappointed sigh. "No, it's just me."  
  
Kagome snapped awake. Her eyes traveled up, and met his face. She failed to see the genuine worry on his face, or the anger that was prominent on his boyish features. All she could see was silver hair, and she instantly remember what had happened.  
  
*Oh no, I called him Inuyasha... again.*  
  
"Kagome-chan?" Kagome looked up, past Inuki. Mama was behind him, and then her friends, Jiichan and Souta lined beside her bed, all of them distinctly concerned. "Kagome-chan, are you alright?" Eri wondered aloud and Kagome smiled at them. "I'm okay... I'm sorry I worried everyone."  
  
"It's alright. All that matters is that you're okay," Houjou said in his stupidly annoying way, and Kagome squinted at her clock. "What time is it?"   
  
"You were only unconscious for a couple of minutes. Dinner may need to be warmed up a little bit, but it'll be okay." Mama assured her and Kagome nodded, looking back up at Inuki. He had never taken his eyes off her face, and she was vaguely aware he was still holding her hand between his. His hands were still clawed, hair still silver.   
  
Eyes still the same gold as Inuyasha's.   
  
She sat up. "I need to get straightened up a bit. Could you guys wait for me downstairs?"  
  
Mama nodded and turned, shooing them downstairs. Inuki stood up from where he had been kneeling next to her bed, gently tugging Kagome's hand off his. "I should go too." His hair obscured his face from view; she could not see the hurt in his eyes that she knew was there. She reached out and caught the sleeve of the shirt she only now noticed was red.  
  
*Inuyasha wore red...*  
  
"Could you stay?" Inuki paused, his head down. He didn't answer for a long time and Kagome swallowed. "Please?"  
  
"I can't." His voice was husky and soft. He couldn't keep his feelings out of his voice, no matter how hard he tried. "Yashagawa-kun, I'm sorry about before, I didn't know what I was saying."  
  
"Yeah," he scoffed, "You never do." Kagome was hurt by his sarcastic tone. "Why are you so mad?! I apologized!"  
  
He swirled on her, eyes blazing. "WHY?! YOU have the nerve to ask ME why I'm MAD?!!" Kagome cringed inwardly as he raised his voice. "I've seen the way you look at me. I know I look like your boyfriend, but I'm not him!! Still, just the same, you look at me like you're looking right through me. You don't see me when you look at me!"  
  
Kagome paled, her hands clenching around her bedsheets. This was familiar... very, very familiar... She looked up at him, tears gathering in her eyes. "Stop..."  
  
"You've never once called me by my first name," he continued, and Kagome bit her lip. "Stop."  
  
Unknowingly, Inuki drew the last straw. "My name is Inuki! Not Inuyasha; I-nu-ki!!"  
  
"STOP IT!! Shut up!" she yelled at him, jumping to her feet and pushing against his chest. "Stop it!"  
  
Inuki drew back, confused as Kagome collapsed against him, great sobs wracking her small frame. She gripped the fabric of his shirt in her hands, her face buried against his chest. "Please, don't say any more..."  
  
He didn't know what to do. He just looked down at her, his heart pounding. After a moment he patted her shoulder awkwardly, his hands unaccustomed to showing comfort. He frowned.   
  
"Higurashi... I'm sorry... I didn't mean to make you cry."  
  
"It's not you," she whispered brokenly, "It's me. It's my fault... I'm doing the same thing. Without even realizing it, I'm hurting you the same way he hurt me... I'm so, so sorry...."  
  
Inuki's mouth worked silently. He was speechless. Kagome looked up at him and he winced at the sight of the tears that streamed down her face. "I know you're Yashagawa Inuki and not Inuyasha. I know that. But I can't help but see him when I look at you, you look so much like him. Even though you two are nothing alike.... I'm still in love with him!" Her face crinkled with the onslaught of more tears. "And I miss him so much!"  
  
She let him go finally, sinking to the ground in one great white heap at his feet, her face in her hands. It was all she could do not to scream as though she were a maniac, like a shattered woman with her soul, her heart, torn from her too soon.   
  
Inuki stood there for a moment, not really knowing what to do. He wasn't accustomed to handling women; he'd lived with his older brother most of his life. Girls weren't really his forte. He knew motorcycles, video games and art. And that was his entire world.  
  
But he couldn't take those heart-wrenching sobs anymore. Each one, more heartbreaking than the last, tugged harder on his own heart-strings. He sat in front of her and reached out, tugging her hands away from her face. And then, in a voice he'd never heard come from himself, he whispered, "Sh.. it's gonna be alright."  
  
Kagome stopped crying almost automatically. She looked up into his eyes, stupefied. Inuki smiled encouragingly at her, reached up and wiped away her tears with his thumb. He brushed her bangs back, away from her eyes. "You're gonna be okay. You're alright."   
  
She was awestruck. Was this the same teenager she'd known for the past month? The one who berated her for her cooking, yelled at her for being stupid and bossy and bitchy, who called her pig-headed and ungrateful. The same one who was now comforting her, delicately rubbing out the tears which stained her face.  
  
Kagome sniffled, pressing her lips together in an attempt to stop crying. "Yashagawa-kun..." Abruptly she leaned forward and rested her forehead on his shoulder, her sobs quieting, but the tears just as present, just as mournful.  
  
Six months had passed since Inuyasha's death. And yet not even on the day he had died, and they buried him underneath the Goshinboku did Kagome ever feel like this. Empty. Broken. She couldn't breathe. Six months of denial, of repressed emotion and now she was drowning, like she was being held underwater and she couldn't surface.  
  
But he smelled so good, and he was so warm. She gripped his hand in hers, weeping silently on his shoulder. And he said nothing. He propped himself up against her desk, allowing her to hold him, to lean on him as she cried out all her grief, all her frustration.  
  
They stayed together for several minutes, and Inuki said nothing because he didn't know what TO say. He didn't know the guy, although apparently he could look in the mirror and see him, daily. But it was obvious Higurashi loved him deeply. What could he possibly say that would make it any better?  
  
He had never felt so helpless in his entire life.  
  
Or so angry. What kind of guy had this idiot been, to have just left her like this? *Inuyasha you bastard...* he found himself thinking, and then just as quickly he caught himself. What did he care? She was just some stupid girl he went to school with. *And swore to protect...*   
  
He sensed her calming a bit, her sobs grew quieter and she was sniffling more now. She pulled away, and he set his hand on her shoulder. "Are you okay now," he asked with concern, and she nodded, her hand up by her face. "I'm sorry, Yashagawa-kun. I got your shirt all wet."  
  
"Don't worry about it." he said softly, and Kagome looked up at him. He smiled, that reassuring one from before. "Let's go downstairs, I think they'll start sending up Makimoto-san and the others to check on us pretty soon."  
  
Kagome laughed despite herself and accepted Inuki's hand as he helped her to her feet. "I gotta change shirts though, if we intend on partying. I look like I was trying to eat soup and missed my mouth."   
  
As she followed him to the room he shared with Souta, she wiped her face, hoping she looked presentable. Inuki flicked on the light and glanced around the room before his yellow eyes found a heap of clothes on the floor. He knelt and starting flinging shirts and other garments about.  
  
Kagome eyed the room in a surprised wonder that the boys could survive in such an abyss, but said nothing as she patiently waited for Inuki to find a clean shirt.  
  
He pawed through the heap of clothes (hoping they were clean) before choosing one. "Here we go," he muttered, mostly for show, as he stood and whipped off the red shirt without warning.  
  
Kagome turned back to him and, seeing him naked from the waist up, blushed brightly. He was a bit better built than Inuyasha, who'd had a small frame for a boy his age. Inuki was a little taller than Inuyasha, she realized, and he was lean and ripped. Not hugely overmuscled, but he had worked out some.  
  
His skin was smooth and flawless, except for two markings. One was an obvious scar, a broken, jagged line over the right side of his collarbone. The second was near his heart, a tiny, hardly noticeable marking, shaped like a diamond. She stared. *Oh, my God... that's where I...*  
  
Abruptly she remembered where she was, and turned to give him his privacy. When she turned back, he'd pulled on the dark navy shirt, and pulled a band around his hair, gathering it at his neck. She liked his hair more that way; it made him look less like Inuyasha, and he looked better in blue than he did in red. "Okay, we can go," he told her, ushering her towards the door.  
  
She looked up at him. "Where'd you get that scar?"  
  
Inuki grinned. "My older brother. He's not as careful with his claws as I am."  
  
Kagome gawped and Inuki laughed at her. "I'm kidding!! I got it riding my motorcycle. I was racing for fun when I was 14 and released the pedal too quickly. Ended up doing a highside, and the bike landed on me. Broke my collarbone."  
  
Kagome blinked. "You... don't have a... motorcycle."  
  
He looked at her self-importantly. "I did when I lived with Takeru." Then he frowned. "Speaking of, I should probably go see the asshole and get the rest of my stuff." Kagome blinked a few times at the speed of his changing subjects, and then shook her head. "That's not the one I meant though, I meant the one over your heart."  
  
"Oh that," he rested his hand over his chest. "That's a birthmark. Looks pretty weird, right? I guess birthmarks are supposed to be."  
  
As he headed down the stairs, Kagome followed suit, her thoughts racing. *That's... where I shot Inuyasha with my purifying arrow... Dammit, everytime I think I can look at him as Inuki... something else reminds me of Inuyasha.*  
  
She sighed. *Inuyasha, did you feel this way when it was me and Kikyou...?*  
  
~*~  
  
Downstairs, the grim, depressive mood had filtered towards the rest of the group. Luckily the moment Kagome and Inuki appeared and the girl assured her friends she was alright, the party continued.  
  
The party itself was centered outside, even though the house was decorated. It was May now and so the nights were becoming warmer, allowing the girls to wear their frilly party dresses without the fear of getting cold.   
  
Outside, in the backyard, there was a large table for everyone to eat dinner at, and another one with everyone's gifts. Mama had set up the large speakers from the stereo and so music filtered throughout the yard.  
  
The girls had all brought dates, Ayumi actually coming with none other than Houjou. When Kagome asked about it, Ayumi fidgeted nervously before muttering they'd only come as friends and that she wasn't trying to get in on Houjou while Kagome wasn't into him. Houjou ruined her alibi when he came up and looked first at Kagome and then Ayumi before cheerfully asking, "Ayumi-chan, would you dance with me?"  
  
After dinner was finished and everyone had given gifts, Kagome noticed Inuki standing on the patio, arms folded as he leaned against the wall of the house. His eyes were glowing, compliments of the night vision he didn't require tonight because of the lanterns set out for the group.  
  
She remembered him saying he had never been much for partying, but standing there and watching her like a hawk for any sign her emotional well-being might be slipping wasn't healthy behavior whether he was into parties or not.  
  
"What are you doing?" she demanded, going up to him, and he looked up at her blankly. "Thinking."  
  
"Well stop thinking and come dance with me."  
  
Inuki opened his mouth to reply, but seeing his furrowed brow, she realized he had no intention of complying, so Kagome quickly took his hand and dragged him out with her friends. Inuki made a strained "No!" noise as she did this, and growled lowly, glancing around himself to see if anyone was watching.  
  
"Higurashi, I can't dance," he muttered under his breath, and Kagome giggled. "It's okay. Just follow me." She took his hand in hers, entwining their fingers before looking up at him seriously. Inuki looked down into her brown eyes, his heart pounding in his ears like a drum. Kagome drew up to him, smiling as she laid her head to his chest. "You have to be closer, like this."  
  
Then she began to rock ever so slightly, and Inuki moved with her, staring past her raven hair to the ground. His thoughts roared in his head, a warring cacophony of emotions and logic. He felt different, and it wasn't because his youkai blood was at his surface tonight. Something had happened in her room, something that changed them. Something was happening to them right now. He wasn't sure if he liked it. And it bothered him.   
  
He wanted it to go back to when it had been simple. When the only one he'd had to worry about was himself, and the only one he could trust was himself. His father had abandoned him, his mother had died and his brother had never cared to begin with. He was alone and that was the way it had to be. You didn't get hurt if you were by yourself.  
  
And then she came into his life. She, who made him so happy, made him understand what it meant to have friends. What it meant to have someone care for you.  
  
But she never saw him. She didn't know anything about him; what he liked to do, his favorite color, his favorite singer. She hadn't even known about his motorcycle, and everyone on the soccer team knew about that.  
  
The only thing she'd been able to see was that she was hurting him. She had said something, 'Without even realizing it, I'm hurting you the same way he hurt me.' He didn't know what she meant. He hadn't even realized that what she was doing to him bothered him so much until she had said it aloud.  
  
And then he knew she was right.  
  
But as much as she hurt him, and every day she called him Inuyasha made him want to withdraw, he wanted to be with her. In the short time they'd been together, he'd grown protective of her. He'd grown to cherish her presence and he felt bound to her like he'd felt bound to no other.  
  
"Yashagawa-kun..."  
  
"Yeah," his voice was quiet. He felt Kagome smile against his shirt. "Thank you."  
  
He blinked several times and then shifted, looking down at her as if she could see him. "For what?" The girl didn't move from her spot in his arms. "For staying with me."  
  
Inuki swallowed. Then he nodded. "No problem."  
  
It was okay. It was okay to hold her in his arms this way. Even though being alone was so much simpler, and part of him wanted it simple again, it was okay to be with her. He closed his eyes and rested his chin on her hair.  
  
Let me be in your world. Let me protect you.  
  
I want to know about Inuyasha. If you tell me, he can't hurt you anymore.  
  
Kagome...  
  
~*~  
  
"Kagome-chan, your Aunt Rika is on the phone!" Mama called out the back door, and Kagome looked up from her place at the table where she and her friends were talking. "Oh, okay!" She looked back at Eri and the others. "I'm sorry, can you wait about ten minutes? I'll be right back."  
  
"No, no problem, Kagome-chan. Take your time." Yuka waved her away and Kagome nodded apologetically. "Thank you! I'll be right back." She darted away and Eri smiled faintly.  
  
"Poor Kagome-chan..." she said sympathetically, unknowingly catching the sensitive ears of Inuki.  
  
Yuka nodded. "I thought she was over him. She told me she was okay. But she looks like she's doing better right now..."   
  
"It was that badass, overly jealous, violently possessive, two-timing boyfriend, wasn't it?? How did he die?" Ayumi wondered and at that Inuki frowned. These girls were Kagome's best friends; didn't they know how he had died? If she loved him so much, she would've introduced him to her friends, wouldn't she?  
  
He narrowed his eyes. Her family had a very intimate respect on this Inuyasha bastard, but her friends did not. It made no sense.  
  
And what exactly did 'badass, overly jealous, violently possessive, two-timing boyfriend' mean? What kind of guy was she involved with?? A member of the Yakuza?!?  
  
He walked over to them. "Uhm... excuse me..."  
  
The four girls looked up in surprise and Inuki noticed that Shiori just as quickly looked away, her cheeks pink. He ignored it. "Makimoto-san..." he began, addressing Eri, "What kind of person was Inuyasha?"  
  
"Oh, was that his name?" Eri asked, flooring the white-haired young man. Unaware of his surprise, the girl promptly shrugged. "I'm not sure. We never met him. Last year, around the time she was sort of dating Houjou-kun, Kagome-chan started having these really bad illnesses."  
  
"One week she had really bad diaherrea and then the next it was diabetes, and then the week after that she was throwing up blood. It was really scary for awhile." Ayumi interrupted and Inuki's face turned a nice shade of green. He shrugged it off as Yuka continued. "Anyway, also around that time she started to lose interest in Houjou-kun... and after while we finally got it out of her that she was dating some other guy."  
  
"From how she explained it to us, he was a real jerk," Eri told him, "He tried to kill some guy for hitting on her, once."  
  
Inuki stared. "And you never met him??"  
  
"No, he never seemed to be around. He went to a different school than us..." Yuka replied, then her eyes darkened. "Now that I think about, I don't even know what he looks like." Inuki drooped. *Like me, apparently.* He shrugged, mumbling his thanks to the girls before wandering away, arms folded over his chest. Yuka smiled faintly. "He's really concerned about her, ne?"  
  
"Yashagawa-kun's a really nice guy, really," Shiori murmured, her eyes dreamy as she watched him leave. "And even though it's weird, that thing his hair does is so cool looking...!"  
  
"Although, now that I think about it, he sorta brought up a good point." Ayumi stated and Eri looked at her. "Which is?"  
  
"Kagome-chan can keep a secret!" Ayumi said, "I mean, we didn't know about Badass until she was already pretty into the relationship. And Yashagawa-kun's been in school for a month and he's been LIVING with her!! She didn't even tell us!!"  
  
Eri, Yuka and Shiori all looked horrified. "That's RIGHT!"  
  
"I'm back!" Kagome peeped, suddenly at their side, and all four girls turned to her. "YOU! We have a bone to pick with you!!!!"  
  
The girl cringed. "Eh???"  
  
~*~  
  
The moon hung large and high in the sky by the time the party dispersed. Souta had fallen asleep and Mama had decided cleanup could wait until the next morning. Kagome stood at the door of her home, waving to the disappearing forms of her friends.   
  
"Goodnight, minna!! I'll see you all tomorrow morning, at school!" There were faint calls of goodbyes as the girls and their dates drifted away, and only when they were out of sight did Kagome step back in and shut the door.  
  
Inuki met her in the foyer. He was wearing his jeans loosely, his ponytail hanging lower. He looked very relaxed physically, but his face was taut with concern. "Are you doing alright?"  
  
She smiled at him. "I'll be okay. I just need to rest. Take a nice, hot bath, maybe snuggle up under the covers with Shippou-plushie and sleep in. Until my alarm clock says its time to get up and go to school."   
  
She paused under his glare and made an annoyed noise under her breath, turning towards the stairs. "I know, that's how things got bad to begin with... I should probably talk to someone who knows what I'm going through..."  
  
"Well that'll be pretty difficult, won't it? Considering not a single one of your friends knew him." He crossed his arms. Kagome, hearing this, turned back down the stairs and looked down at him, looking mildly betrayed. "You talked to Eri-chan and the others?"  
  
"Yeah. Also found it very surprising that a 15 year old girl wouldn't tell her best friends about the love of her life," he replied, and Kagome blew out a heavy breath and turned back up the steps, trudging up a few of them. "Inuyasha was different from other guys. The only one who would probably understand is..."  
  
Inuki followed her up the stairs, only behind a step or two. "Who?"  
  
Kagome stopped. Her shoulders sagged. "Sango-chan."  
  
Inuki crossed the distance between them and stood on the step in front of her, bearing down over her small form. "Don't know her, was she here?" Kagome looked up at him helplessly. For a moment Inuki thought she would tell him about Inuyasha, tell him everything, but her face crinkled and she brushed past him, continuing towards her room.   
  
"No, you wouldn't know her. Sango-chan wasn't here and can't come, ever. That's because Sango-chan, and Miroku-sama, and Shippou-chan-- all of the friends who knew and loved Inuyasha, live 500 years in the past. And you wouldn't understand."  
  
She felt his hands grip her wrist and he spun her around to face him. He grit his teeth. "Of course I would understand. I'm a hanyou!! What wouldn't I understand?!!"  
  
Kagome caught her breath. Inuki glared up at her, misinterpreting her surprise. "In my body flows the blood of an inuyoukai. Even if I'm only partially so, I'm a demon. I've seen some crazy shit in my lifetime. There is not a thing you could tell me that would shock me."   
  
"Yes, I could." He blinked, stunned. Kagome reached out and brushed her fingers over the top of his head, almost affectionately. "This is where his ears were... As an inuhanyou, Inuyasha had dog-ears, not human ones."  
  
Inuki blinked. "Inuyasha was a ...a what?"  
  
Kagome looked Inuki in the eye. "I'll tell you. About Inuyasha. You should know about him... as his reincarnation."  
  
~*~ To be continued ~*~  
  
a/n :: I'm taking my time, but I'm getting there! Gotta appease some peoples!! lol~ Seems like alot of reviewers want Inuki to turn into Inuyasha. Well, tough beef jerky, people! Xp He's Inuki now! Thats like asking Kagome to turn into Kikyou. (ugh) Anyway, next chapter: Kagome remembers Inuyasha's death. ^-^V Hope you guys can stand the waiting!  
  
Btw, sorry for the motorcycles thing, I love them~ And a white-haired Inuki riding on a bike on the night of the full moon just strikes me as kick@$$~ ::grin grin::  
  
Another btw, Inuki said Higurashi in the last chapter because that's what he calls her! He has never called her "Kagome" out loud. (Maybe some of his thoughts that I forgot to catch, but never aloud) Anyway ^-^V please review!!  
  
Okie, ja~!  
  
~*~ V^-^V ~*~   
  
~Tessen 


	11. Chapter 10 The Hanyou, Inuyasha

Sorry Im late everyone! I just couldn't get this damn chapter written! And then to make it worse, when I did finish it, my DSL went out and my dad (the only computer-capable creature at my house) was on a business trip!! I stared at my computer screen for a solid three days going 'Please, let me check my email…' Anyway, he came back today so you get a chapter!!  
  
Disclaimer:: Inuyasha doesn't belong to me, as much as I want him to.  
  
____________________________  
  
Inuki  
  
Chapter Ten :: The Hanyou, Inuyasha  
  
Inuki looked nervously around Kagome's room. It was the first time he'd been in it. Well technically, the second, but the first time, he'd carried her in because she was unconscious. Her body had been limp in his arms, her head hanging over the side of his arm as he struggled through the house towards her room, a mass of panicked people following him. He hadn't noticed or cared about the scenery.  
  
This time, she was awake and lively. He'd allowed her time to change out of the party dress she'd worn, and she was now wearing her pajamas, a cute aqua camisole and shorts set with little white dogs printed on them.   
  
The cuteness and utter girlishness about her room was stupefying. It was mostly shades of pinks and purples, and stuffed plush creatures were everywhere. Beanbag-bodied minis sat on her desk, a larger than normal teddy bear sat on the floor at the end of her bed. Shippou-plushie was on her bed, looking a bit bedruffled, and Inuki blushed slightly at the thought that she slept with it.   
  
He noticed she had framed photographs on her vanity table, surrounded by her makeup, all of them of she and her family, or her friends. He did not see anyone who remotely resembled him, in any way, and so obviously was not Inuyasha and so he waited.  
  
He knelt on the floor in front of her vanity table, while Kagome rustled through her desk drawers. She emerged with a photo frame and paused for a moment, gazing at the image encased in it. Then she handed it to him quietly.  
  
He took it carefully and looked down at the glass-covered picture. Three women, two men and a boy. The girl on the furthermost left was about their age, her dark brown hair long and glossy, tied back into a very low ponytail. She wore a kimono of ivory and magenta with an old-style emerald-colored apron on.   
  
At her side was a young man, possibly a little older than Inuki himself, wearing the traditional robes of a houshi; anybody who went to history class could recognize it. Unlike average monks however, this man had not shaved his head, his hair was black and pulled back into a short ponytail. He was grinning broadly at the camera.  
  
Next to him was a short, stout old woman in her late 50's or so, with gray-brown hair pulled back. She wore traditional red-and-white robes of a miko, and an eyepatch over her right eye. She was smiling also, the wrinkles and creases in her friendly face deepening with the old smile. A child of 4 or 5 sat on her shoulder, waving at the camera.  
  
Inuki recognized him instantly. Shippou. He had seen him in that odd vision three days ago. The little fox-child.  
  
Next to them was Kagome, wearing the green sailor uniform. She was smiling, head tilted slightly, her hand lifted up in a peace sign. The other hand was clasped within the hand of the final person.  
  
Inuki's face paled. The boy was his age. He wore a red hakama and haori, and his feet were bare as he stood on the dirt road. His face, so very familiar to Inuki's, was drawn in a bored frown. He had wide, yellow eyes, long silver hair. The most unique thing were the dog-ears that stood alert on the top of his head.   
  
They, Inuki and this boy, looked exactly alike. Like twin brothers. Or clones.  
  
He looked up at Kagome in amazement. "What... I mean, how is this possible?"  
  
She sighed, folding her hands in her lap. "Because Inuyasha died. You are his reincarnation. I know you are, it's taken me a long time to decide that for certain, but... I know you are. You guys are so much alike."  
  
Inuki shook his head. "Me? But you and I are the same age, how did you date a guy who was me?" At his question Kagome smirked. "Like I said, Inuyasha and the others are from the Sengoku-jidai. 500 years ago, when youkai walked this country freely, Sango-chan, Miroku-sama, Kaede-baachan, Shippou-chan, me and Inuyasha traveled searching for the shards of the Shikon no Tama. Actually Kaede-baachan didn't come most of the time."  
  
She pointed out each person as she said their name. Inuki looked up at her after realizing what she'd mentioned. "Shikon no Tama... those little keychain charms your grandfather sells?"  
  
Kagome nodded. "Except the real Shikon no Tama is a jewel of magnificent power. To youkai or a person with an evil heart, the Shikon no Tama amplifies their power. I've seen little crow demons turn into monsters of enormous sizes because they swallowed this jewel."  
  
He nodded. It was hard to believe. Not the part about the Shikon no Tama, or youkai walking the land 500 years past. The Yashagawas were descended from an inuyoukai clan who'd lived in the western lands centuries ago; he was used to hearing that sort of stuff from his brother Takeru. What was hard to believe was how Kagome fit into the story.   
  
"So…" Inuki began, "You just… landed in the Sengoku-jidai one day."  
  
Kagome gave him a stern look which meant: cut out the jokes and Inuki shrugged. The young woman looked out her window towards the front of the shrine. "Honegui no ido.."  
  
"The well..? What about it?" He asked and Kagome looked back at him. "That's how I traveled back and forth. The well is the door to the past."  
  
Inuki was quiet for a moment, digesting the information. After a moment Kagome simply began to talk without warning.  
  
"I released Inuyasha from a seal on my 15th birthday. Over the first few months that I knew him, so much happened to us. We met our friends, we learned the truth about Inuyasha's past, we searched for the shards of the Shikon no Tama."  
  
The young man looked up at her. Kagome was staring at the picture. "And I fell in love with him."  
  
She looked up at Inuki poignantly. "I wasn't going to ever come back, you know. I was going to stay with him forever."  
  
He stared back at her without a sound as her eyes trailed back down to the photo. "But… we fought Naraku and Inuyasha died, and I came back here alone." One tear fell and splashed onto the glass. Inuki frowned at that, wondering what he should say, but instead kept silent as she wiped her eyes and continued.   
  
"And for six months I've tried to get on with my life. But six months earlier…"  
  
~*~  
  
Kagome tugged on her arm, trying to free herself of the impatient hanyou attached to the other end and struggling to fight tears at the same time. She would not let him see her cry. "Let go of me Inuyasha!!"  
  
He shook his head, his face twisted in an angry glare. "You're NOT going back until you answer my question! Why did you give these to me?! If you don't take these with you, you can't come back!"  
  
Kagome shook her head, preparing a good sit. "Let go of me, you stupid jerk! Maybe I don't WANT to come back!" His grip loosened instantly and Kagome yanked free of him when it did, half-running a few steps forward, and stopping. She sniffled, forcing down the feelings. Don't cry don't cry don't cry...  
  
"You.. want to leave?" He sounded so hurt. So betrayed. How dare he sound that way. "Why would you... want... to leave me?"  
  
Please don't sound that way... Kagome reached for her first excuse, as lame as it now sounded. After all, she had just told him she wasn't coming back anyway. "I have school! After we beat Naraku and gather the rest of the Jewel, I have to still have a life there! I need to be able to go back!! I already told you that I don't have a future there unless I study!"  
  
"Who cares? You don't need one there, you have one here." Frustrated, Kagome cursed under her breath his obstinacy, straightening the straps of her backpack. "But see, that's the problem! I DON'T have a future here! I can't stay here forever, Inuyasha~ This isn't where I'm supposed to be!"  
  
The tears were close, please, just let him let her go, please. Let him understand.  
  
Once more she felt his hands on her arms and he spun her to face him, and she saw for the first time the anguish this entire situation was causing him. His golden eyes crinkled with pain. "You're supposed to be wherever I am because your place is with ME!"   
  
Her struggles stopped and she stared up at him, eye full of surprise and wonder. His eyes were intense, focused on her face, and for the first time she saw nothing else in him, only his desire to be with her. He didn't want the Shikon no Tama, he didn't want to be a real youkai, he didn't want Kikyou.   
  
He just wanted ...Kagome.  
  
His body sagged slightly, his grip loosened, as if all energy had left him, and all he could do now was stare into her eyes. His voice was a husky whisper as he repeated, "You're supposed to be with me."  
  
She swallowed, still awestruck by his statement. "Wh... what?" was the only word she could manage. Inuyasha shook his head vigorously. "You can't go, I don't want you to! If you leave me, I'll have to beat Naraku all by myself." He grit his teeth, one pearly fang jutting out against his lower lip. "And what am I supposed to do after that?! I'll be alone again!"  
  
"You won't be alone, you'll... you'll have her..." she mumbled stupidly, not understanding why he was doing this. Why was he acting so insanely? Isn't this what he wanted? He wanted the shards, he wanted to die with Kikyou; what did it matter if he left behind the people, the girl, who loved him?  
  
Why was he acting like… he loved her…?  
  
The hanyou made a soft noise under his breath, eyes never leaving her face. "Kagome you're so stupid...!" His response simply angered her. She struggled against him again, but he held firm, closing the distance between them swiftly and embracing her. Kagome caught her breath.  
  
Her face pressed into his shoulder, and she made a soft squeak at the abrupt action. His chest was warm. "What are you doing?" she demanded, and Inuyasha swallowed. After a moment he breathed against her ear, "Kikyou doesn't make me feel the way you make me. Don't leave me alone. I need you."   
  
At the declaration, Kagome drew up against him, the tears breaking through, and she finally relaxed, burying her face in his shoulder and weeping.   
  
I hate this about myself. Why do I let this jerk walk over me? Why do I let him get away with trampling on me... making me cry... tearing me apart...  
  
Because I want to see him again. Because I need to hear his voice and see his smile and look in his eyes just one more time. Because I never know when it will be the last day, the last fight, and my last chance to see--  
  
"Inuyasha…"  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"……I'll stay…" The young girl wrapped her arms around him also, molding to his form like a piece of a jigsaw puzzle. She felt him smile against her cheek. "……thank you, Kagome."  
  
~*~  
  
His hands were shaking. His fingers trembled uncontrollably as they clenched themselves into fists. Inuyasha's eyes stared blankly at the ground, melting into a expression of helpless agony as he realized what Naraku had done to him.  
  
*…no.. please…*  
  
He could feel the hot pull of his blood at his mind and heart, dragging his soul down into the black abyss it resided when he lost control. His head throbbed, the rush of his blood to his surface sounding like a roar of heavy winds in his sensitive ears.  
  
He could hear Kagome at his side, calling his name, but it didn't register. All he could comprehend was the pain, the anger and the fear, all turning and tumbling inside him like a whirlpool. He closed his eyes. *Go, Kagome.. please go..*  
  
"Inuyasha…!"   
  
She hated the way her voice sounded as she called his name. It wasn't the voice of a girl who trusted and believed in the man she loved; it was more like that of a woman afraid of what that man could and might do to her.   
  
Kagome stared at the hanyou in horror, trying to ignore the fear screaming at her to run. It was deafening, this feeling. He was transforming into a monster underneath her very hands. She should run.  
  
But she couldn't. Not from Inuyasha.  
  
She gripped fistfuls of his haori in her hands, trying to shake him out of it. Shake him back to the world. back to her. "Inuyasha, don't!! Break the transformation!! You can do this, I know you can!!"  
  
Either ignoring her cries or not hearing them, Inuyasha emitted a strangled cry that was part pain, part fear as his back arched as if in a dry heave. It was an animalistic cry, and one hand shot down to the ground, gripping the dirt and rocks underneath his body in claws that were growing longer.  
  
His hair was bristling like the fur of a cat who felt threatened or frightened. His yellow eyes were tinged with the bright red characteristic of his youkai nature and she watched a jagged purple stripe lined his cheekbones.  
  
His breath was heavy as he fought his transformation, and he shut his eyes. "Ka… gome.. go…" She shook her head. "I'm not leaving you."  
  
"GO!" he screamed, his voice breaking into a roar-growl as his eyes flashed red and he struck out at her. Kagome felt herself abruptly yanked backward and glanced up to see Sango and Miroku on Kirara's back. The houshi had reached down and hauled her up by the back of her shirt, setting her down in his lap.  
  
Overcoming the slight confusion quickly, she struggled against Miroku's arms. "No! Take me back to him! Miroku-sama, put me down!!"  
  
"He's transformed already, Kagome-sama!" the monk yelled, and Shippou bounced in her lap. "He could kill you!!" Kagome hushed instantly, allowing herself to be flown to the top of the deep canyon.  
  
From across the open chasm, Naraku laughed aloud at the spectacle. Miroku cursed at him under his breath as they landed, and Kagome ran from Kirara's side, back to the edge of the ravine.  
  
"Inuyasha!!"  
  
He wasn't there. The small island in the river of shouki that had flowed in the bottom… he had left it.   
  
And then she saw him. Kagome gasped as the red blur shot up towards her, and she wasn't able to back away before Inuyasha's claws caught her arm.  
  
"Kagome-chan!!"   
  
Kagome sat back on her knees, holding her hand over the wound. Inuyasha stood over her, laughing as he licked his claws clean of her blood. The young miko stared up at him in shock. "Inuyasha…"  
  
"Kagome-sama!" She heard Miroku's voice call her name, and abruptly something long and gold slammed the crazed hanyou in the side of the head. He stumbled away with a growl and yet again Kagome found herself pulled away.  
  
Sango pulled off Kagome's neckerchief and hastily tied a dressing over the wound. It wasn't serious, he'd hardly touched her. Kagome looked up where Miroku and Inuyasha were standing almost completely still, facing each other, each waiting for the other to make a move.  
  
The hanyou roared in fury and rushed the houshi, and Miroku dodged easily, sidestepping and twirling around the crazed younger man. "Inuyasha," he called to him, blocking a claw strike with his shakujou, "You must regain your senses! Do you truly intend to forget about us?! About Kagome-sama?!"  
  
Inuyasha howled and lunged at him, striking out. Miroku cursed as he took the brunt of the attack on his arm, and he swung at Inuyasha with the golden staff. Again, he struck Inuyasha's head and the hanyou went down, blood trickling down from his temple.  
  
From the sidelines, Kagome watched them fight. There were no inhibitions on the young youkai's part whilst Miroku, to his credit, tried to hold back so he wouldn't really hurt the hanyou. But Inuyasha wasn't holding back. He had hurt both Miroku and herself. He wasn't going to stop until they were all dead.  
  
Kagome felt tears come to her eyes as she realized what her wound meant. She had lost him.  
  
Inuyasha had forgotten her.  
  
And now, just like any other youkai, she would have to kill him.  
  
She stood, taking her bow from her back. Shippou looked up at her. "Kagome?" At the kit's side, Sango's eyes widened, realizing what the miko meant to do as she took a single arrow from her quiver. "Kagome-chan, don't! We may still--"  
  
"He's gone, Sango-chan. I have to save Miroku-sama." She set the arrow to the bow and aimed for the hanyou's heart. She had a single clear shot. Kagome looked up to the sky helplessly, as if praying for strength, or for forgiveness, and then looked back at him.  
  
And fired.  
  
Miroku gasped slightly at the sound of the bowstring, and his shock was deepened when the purifying arrow lodged itself in Inuyasha's chest. He turned, blankly looking at Kagome. *She… actually shot him..*   
  
Inuyasha staggered backward, his red eyes widening in confusion and pain. One hand went up and touched the arrow, and then he looked back up in the direction it had come from. At Kagome. The miko lowered the bow slowly, her face stoic as she kept her eyes trained on him.   
  
And then something happened that no one had expected. His eyes cleared, turning bright amber-gold again. His face tightened painfully, a hint of betrayal in the golden depths. "K-Kagome…"  
  
His eyes slid shut and Kagome screamed his name as he fell backward.  
  
~*~ To be continued ~*~  
  
a/n :: Ouch. Sucks, dun it? ^-^ I'm the cruel and ebil giver of cliffies, yes. But you know what?! Because I was late for two weeks straight, you loyal reviewers ::gasps melodramatically:: get another chapter!!! v^^- Don't say I never come through for ya~ Although you guys will hate me again by the end of it.  
  
Anyway! Review and lemme know what you're thinking, you guys know I love it!  
  
~*~ V^-^V ~*~   
  
~Tessen 


	12. Chapter 11 My Last Breath

A/n:: This chapter is SAD and ANGSTY!! Beware of character death and be forewarned, you might need Kleenex.  
  
Disclaimer:: Me no own, and you no sue, I can't stand it and boo-hoo-hoo. ^-^  
  
____________________________  
  
Inuki  
  
Chapter Eleven :: My Last Breath  
  
Inuyasha staggered backward, his red eyes widening in confusion and pain. One hand went up and touched the arrow, and then he looked back up in the direction it had come from. At Kagome. The miko lowered the bow slowly, her face stoic as she kept her eyes trained on him.   
  
And then something happened that no one had expected. His eyes cleared, turning bright amber-gold again. His face tightened painfully, a hint of betrayal in the golden depths. "K-Kagome…"  
  
His eyes slid shut and Kagome screamed his name as he fell backward.  
  
She was at his side in moments, skidding in the gravel and dirt and ignoring her skinned knees. It didn't matter; nothing else mattered. Nothing except the dying young man in front of her.  
  
Inuyasha let out a soft whimper, his chest heaving as he gasped in pain. Kagome did not even try to hold back the tears that streamed freely down her cheeks. "Inuyasha! Inuyasha!!"  
  
He opened his eyes, the unfocused gold orbs falling on her face. "Kagome," he whispered, and she pressed her lips together, her hands grasping his tightly. "Inuyasha, are you…"  
  
"Are you okay?" he asked first, and she stared at him, surprised. "I'm fine, you didn't hurt me." He laughed under his breath. "Yeah I did… I smelled your blood…" He lifted a hand, looking at the blood staining his claws. He closed his eyes then, and his hand fell to his chest.  
  
Kagome panicked. "Inuyasha!!"  
  
"I'm okay.. you missed." Kagome looked blankly at him. Missed? She glanced down and felt a stab of surprise. She HAD missed. The arrow was too high. She couldn't have even put him in the enchanted sleep that Kikyou had once done to him with that sort of aim.  
  
She bit her lip. "I'm sorry…" she whispered, leaning close to him and he smirked. "Don't worry about it." He relaxed, only to have his body shudder in pain again. Kagome looked over him. "I should… pull it out.."  
  
She rested her hand on his chest carefully and gripped the arrow shaft in the other. "Inuyasha, be still…" He nodded, and then Kagome pulled hard.  
  
Inuyasha's face twisted into an expression of agony and he rolled slightly, his hand covering the small wound. Kagome threw aside the bloody arrow and grabbed Inuyasha. "Are you alright?"  
  
"I'm okay, don't worry about it." He forced himself to his feet and glared across the chasm at Naraku, who looked back at him smugly. Turning away from the hateful creature, Inuyasha walked forward and dropped gracefully into the canyon.   
  
The group gasped in surprise at this action, not understanding why Inuyasha would willingly go back down there. The surprise dissipated when he returned just as quickly, slipping Tessaiga into its sheath.  
  
Kagome blinked. Of course. Naraku had knocked the blade away and it had fallen into the shouki-filled ravine. Inuyasha had followed after it, Kagome right behind him. It was only once they were down they realized Naraku's plan: force Inuyasha into transforming so they he could kill Kagome.  
  
The hanyou looked down at her. "Kagome…" She blinked several times, stammering. There was an odd look in his eyes; it made her chest flutter. "Uhm… yeah?"  
  
"I need you to help me now. It's time to really fight," he said and Kagome put on her game face. "Yeah. Okay. Let's go."  
  
He grinned at her and then looked at the others. "We have to charge head on. It's not like we can sneak up on him, he knows we're here…" Miroku nodded, his right fist squeezing methodically. "That is true."  
  
"Then let's go," Sango said, and Shippou nodded. "We'll get revenge for everything!" Inuyasha smiled, turning back towards Naraku.  
  
The other hanyou held out the completed Shikon no Tama. "Aren't you coming?? Where's your bravado… Inuyasha?"  
  
Kagome glared at the monster who was posing as a man, letting her utter hate for him surface. All she had to do was remember the things he had done. To Miroku-sama, to Sango-chan, to Kikyou. To Inuyasha.  
  
"Min'na…" They all perked at Inuyasha's voice, soft and husky. His face was somber. "I won't let any of you die… but no matter what happens, this is still the end of our journey." He put his hand symbolically on Tessaiga's hilt. "Thanks for staying with me."  
  
And then he charged.  
  
~*~  
  
Kagome looked up to the sky gratefully as the last few ashes that had been Naraku fluttered away on the wind. The sun began to rise over the horizon, spreading warm light over the battlefield. In the field she saw the glittering of the Shikon no Tama and bent, taking it into her hands.  
  
She brushed off the residue of the shouki, and gazing down at the ball, she clasped it gratefully to her chest, sinking to the ground.  
  
It was over.  
  
Behind her, Inuyasha, Miroku, Sango and Shippou stood, scattered across the field, their faces turned to the sky as the rays of the morning sun stretched out towards them. They were all alive. The new morning, the new beginning of a life without Naraku, began today.  
  
"Miroku…"  
  
At the sound of Inuyasha's voice, the houshi looked over at his friend. Inuyasha was standing, his face turned to the sky. He seemed empty of any emotion; his body seemed to tilt, as if he was going to fall. Miroku wasn't surprised; the young man was drenched in blood. If he fainted he'd just be the first.  
  
"Yes, Inuyasha?"  
  
"Is your kazaana gone…?"  
  
The houshi blinked. So elated and so caught up with the gravity of the moment he hadn't yet had the thought to check.   
  
Slowly he unraveled the beads from around his wrist and uncovered his right palm. It was empty. He felt a surge of relief and surprise, and he felt so light-headed that he thought he might faint. He was released from it.  
  
He nodded once, a small smile gracing his lips. "The kazaana is gone."  
  
Inuyasha smiled also, almost as if the action were fake. "S'good…" His eyes closed and he let out a halting, pained breath. Miroku looked back up to see Inuyasha crumple to the ground. Anxiously he called out the half-demon's name.  
  
Kagome looked up when she heard Miroku cry out. Across the field, Miroku, Sango and Shippou raced to Inuyasha, who had collapsed.  
  
For the second time that day Kagome raced to him, ignoring her body's protests that she was exhausted and wounded and in no shape to run as much as she was. She stopped at his side, staring in frantic horror down at him, at the pool of red liquid around him that endlessly widened.  
  
She dropped to her knees, grasping his clawed hands. They were cold and limp. "Inuyasha!!" she screamed, and he opened his eyes. "Kagome.." Seeing his eyes, Kagome's blood ran cold. He didn't have to say anything, didn't have to do anything.  
  
She knew. She could see it in his face that was ashen from the loss of blood. In his eyes which were glazed and blank.  
  
He looked up at her weakly, his breaths heavy and labored. "You okay…?" he asked in a soft voice and she shrugged. "Nothing I can't heal. Inuyasha, you've gotta hang on, okay? You're gonna be okay."  
  
He made a motion which some other time might have been a nod. His eyes closed and Kagome squeezed his hand fearfully. "Inuyasha?!"  
  
He breathed out shakily and his face tightened. "Kagome, I…"  
  
The miko wiped the tears from her face. Her entire focus was on him, on what he was saying. It would be his last words to her.  
  
Inuyasha's last words… He was on his deathbed, Kagome realized. It felt like a curse, to get so far, to finally kill that hated Naraku, only for him to die now? It felt like it wasn't real.  
  
Inuyasha was dying.  
  
His words were cut off by a fit of coughing, and red colored his lips. Kagome gasped at the action, taken aback. She closed her eyes. This can't be happening, it can't happen. Please God, don't let him die!  
  
"Kagome…" She could barely hear him; he'd only breathed her name. She bit her lip hard, tasting blood in her mouth as she leaned over him to hear his voice. Inuyasha's body shuddered from the effort.  
  
"I.. have to tell you… I… Kagome, I will…"  
  
Kagome wept, the tears streaming down her face unchecked. She didn't care. She reached out and placed her hand on his cheek. He was so cold. So cold. "Inuyasha, I'm here."  
  
His mouth worked silently. Kagome brushed back his hair. "Inuyasha?"  
  
His breathing was shallower; his chest hardly moved at all. But he moved his lips again, desperately trying to make her understand him.  
  
No, dammit, NO! He was trapped. Trapped in this dying body and goddammit, he had to tell her. His mouth worked the words over and over. His entire body was numb and going cold; he could feel her hand on his face and the other gripping his hand. She was so warm, so full of life.  
  
The silver streams of tears ran down her cheeks as her mouth worked his name hoarsely over and over. He tried to reach up to her, but couldn't move his hands.  
  
It was so dark, in this place, and he couldn't see anymore; he couldn't see anything. Not even her. God, no please don't leave me, don't leave me alone here to die like this, Kagome!  
  
The miko watched him struggling to live, trying to survive this, and watched him failing. Frantically she realized her hand still clenched around a small globe. She looked at it and then back at Inuyasha. In a panic she pressed the ball to him. "Please! Please live, please, Inuyasha, I can't go through this life without you…"  
  
She watched as the Shikon no Tama began to glow gently, and a small orb of pale pink light entered Inuyasha's body. For a moment Inuyasha took a deep breath, clear and unhindered and Kagome sighed, thanking God silently.  
  
But then his eyes slid closed and he took a shuddering gasp as the blood filled his lungs. She gasped also, the fear and the grief filling her again as she realized it hadn't worked. "Inuyasha!!"  
  
He coughed, choking. God, is this how Death was? Was he really going to die like this? Without having said anything? Without telling her how he felt?  
  
Please let her hear me! ...Kagome... Kagome!!  
  
"Kagome…!"  
  
His body tensed under her hands, and then relaxed. His taut features eased and Kagome felt his last breath leave him. She pulled away in horror, staring at his face. Her eyes went to his chest, which didn't move.  
  
She couldn't swallow. Her hands shook as she lifted them to her mouth. "Inu… yasha…" She leaned forward, grabbing his haori and shaking him. "Inuyasha!! INUYASHA!!"  
  
Someone grabbed her shoulders and pulled her away, yelling something she couldn't understand, Kagome just stared past him, her sight blurring. Abruptly it started making sense. "Kagome-sama!!"  
  
"Let go of me, I have to… I have to help him!!"  
  
"Kagome-sama, he's dead!!!" Kagome halted all her movements, stopped the struggling. Miroku was too strong. She looked up at him helplessly. Tears had filled the houshi's eyes as well. "He's dead, Kagome-sama. Inuyasha's dead."  
  
The strength bled from her legs and Kagome dropped to the ground. Miroku went down with her, holding her to his chest, and Kagome buried her face into his shoulder and wept.  
  
~*~ To be continued ~*~  
  
a/n :: Okie guys, you wanted to know how Inuyasha died-- there you go. Please review~ And not with death threats.  
  
~*~ V^-^V ~*~   
  
~Tessen 


	13. Chapter 12 Return to Sengokujidai

Thank you for the reviews!! I appreciate them all~ As sad as chapter 11 was, I'm glad it conveyed the feelings I wanted it to. I got so many reviews that were like 'YOU EVIL WENCH, I'm crying over here!!!' v^^- I honestly didn't mean to do that! (even though I was crying writing it… hm, shoulda been a clue, ne?) And yeah, that was a horrible way to die, wasn't it. ::huggles Inuyasha:: Gomen ne, koinu-chan~  
  
Disclaimer:: I don't own Inuyasha, but I killed him. Is that bad?  
  
____________________________  
  
Inuki  
  
Chapter Twelve :: Return to Sengoku Jidai  
  
The room was still, the silence seeming thick enough to physically touch. The two young people sat silently, neither knowing what to say next, now that the story had ended. The storyteller quietly wept, the emotions and the memory of the experience still vividly clear in her mind's eye. The listener sat on the floor, feeling awestruck and out of place, like a foreigner watching a native weep for the loss of something personal.  
  
No matter what the more logical part of Inuki's brain told him, the things Kagome had told him had to be true. Despite the constant barrage of denial in his head, the description of Inuyasha's death matched his dreams almost perfectly.   
  
The visions and nightmares Inuki had were of a confusing and frightening matter, something that for him, had been taking place since his childhood. But for Kagome the real event had been only six months ago, in a dimension where the era was that of a world long since past, where youkai were as commonplace as Wacdonalds.  
  
Her description of Musashi country was easily attainable by a textbook, but her account of everyday life there, of the old miko Kaede, the people and the surroundings was something not as easily faked.   
  
Anybody could describe how the rice paddies looked during planting season, all you had to do was have Japanese History 101. But to describe watching cloud formations while a fox-child made magic tricks and the young women sang for a good crop as they planted was an entirely different situation.   
  
He had to admit to himself at least that if it weren't for the uncanny connection to his nightmares he probably would've recommended her for psychiatric evaluation.  
  
Out of the corner of his eye Inuki glanced at Kagome. The teenaged girl sniffled every so often, her shoulders shaking. He softened. He seriously hated seeing her cry.  
  
Kagome felt a rustle of soft fabric at her arm and glanced down to see a dark navy handkerchief held out to her. The hiragana embroidered in lime green thread in one corner read "Koinu."  
  
She glanced up at Inuki as he pushed it towards her. "Here." She took it gratefully and wiped her face, and he settled by her desk, his back to the drawers. He reached up and behind him, onto the desktop and picked up the photograph of everyone.  
  
After examining it again, he looked up at her. "So… what happened to the others? Shippou, Sango, Miroku..?"  
  
Kagome shook her head, shrugging as she did. "I don't know, I.. haven't seen them since it happened. After he died, I… I got sick. Once I got better, I just stayed away…"  
  
Inuki looked empathetically at her. His eyes went down to the picture, on Miroku and Sango's faces. At the warm smile of the little old miko and the ecstatic grin of a fox-child. An idea started to form. He bit his lip, wondering if he should mention it at all. In a slightly reproachful voice he asked, "Higurashi…?"  
  
"Yes?" Her voice was clear as she spoke, and he looked up at her. "Maybe you should go back."  
  
Kagome flinched visibly. "What?"  
  
He shrugged, looking back at the picture. "You said it yourself, you hadn't been back to see your friends since he died… Maybe you should go back. Sango and Miroku… They're probably worried about you. And it might help you." he swallowed. "…I can't."  
  
Kagome shook her head vigorously, looking down at him. "No, of course you can, you helped me before." He looked away. "I can't do that all the time," he said in a low voice. Then he looked up at her. He looked sincerely bothered by what he'd just said. "I don't know him, and I can't help you deal with it."  
  
Kagome looked at her floor. Inuki had never seen her look so small, so vulnerable, since he'd known her. "I'm afraid to… I just left them, and I didn't even turn back. I don't know what I'd say to them…"  
  
Inuki shrugged. "I don't know either. I haven't met them."  
  
At this Kagome caught her breath. "Come with me." The color drained from the boy's face. "Say what?! No way, I couldn't." She nodded. "Of course you can, you're Inuyasha's reincarnation, you should be able to travel through the well too."  
  
Inuki looked frantic as Kagome stood, grabbing his hands and pulling him to his feet. She nodded at him urgently. "You can come. You need to meet Miroku-sama and the others, and I--"  
  
"Higurashi…" he tried.  
  
"--need you to be with me."  
  
His mouth shut instantaneously, eyes wide and hopeful. Did she really mean she needed him? He opened his mouth to protest and wavered momentarily when he realized he had nothing to say. He wanted to go with her as much as she wanted him to come. He sighed. "All right."  
  
~*~  
  
Kagome stood in front of the wellhouse, her heart pounding. The doors were barred and locked, as they had been for over five months. She had passed by the little shrine everyday on her way to school and yet it had never caused her as much anxiety as it did now.  
  
Tentatively she took off the padlock and slid open the door. The musky scent of old wood wafted under her nose and for a moment she forgot she wasn't alone. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath.  
  
On the floor by the door was her pack, right where she had dropped it. Her bow and quiver lay besides it and several arrows were scattered. A thick layer of dust and several spiderwebs coated both items and Kagome brushed them off in sheets as she picked up the weapon. Glancing at Inuki, she said softly, "Just in case."  
  
Together they headed down the short flight of stairs, and Kagome stopped at the edge of the well, swallowing as she did. A wave of memories ran awash over her simply from the touch of the deteriorating wood, and she shoved them down. She didn't need to hesitate when she was so close. This was as close as she'd gotten in months.  
  
Inuki helped her over the side, noticing her trembling limbs. Her earlier statement came back to him. She was afraid. Afraid to face her past, her friends and her duty that she abandoned. He gave a slight reassuring squeeze on her hand before releasing her and walking to the other side, embarrassed by his actions.   
  
Kagome looked up at him in surprise, and then smiled at him in the darkness when he looked away, a faint blush coloring his cheeks. "Thanks." She swung her legs over the side and then taking a deep breath, she dropped into the blackness underneath her.  
  
She knew she had hit the Sengoku Jidai when she was suddenly hit with a downpour of rain. The ceiling of the well shrine was gone, and she was exposed to the elements. She lifted the hood of the windbreaker she'd brought, and was suddenly blinded from the bottom as the blue light appeared again. Inuki dropped next to her, his white hair glowing ethereally in the magic light.  
  
"Oh my God, what the hell was that?!" he gawped, looking up at the sky and promptly hit in the face with the same rainwater. "It's raining," Kagome said belatedly, already climbing the vines that led up and out. She helped Inuki out as he too clambered out of the muddy bottom, climbing up and over into the wet grass.  
  
It was night of course, the same as home, but the dark rainclouds gathering over Musashi made it seem more preternatural and sorrowful than it was for the young miko. Kagome swallowed as her eyes scanned the area, falling over the huge thick trunk of the Goshinboku. She shuddered at the thought of going to his grave again, the memory of refusing to leave it the first time still fresh in her mind.  
  
But she still hesitated. Inuki turned, troubled by the fact she was pausing for so long. "What?" His eyes scanned over the tree and he blinked. "Goshinboku.. it's here too…"  
  
"Yes," she replied, and Inuki looked at her. "Are we really in the Sengoku Jidai? This is where your house would be?"  
  
She nodded. "Yeah. And it will be, in a few more hundred years."  
  
He blinked again, looking around in awe at the trees and plants that would eventually be cut down to make room for the shrine. It was shocking.  
  
Kagome sighed, leaving the newbie to his staring, and she paused in her walk towards the village as she slowly came to realize she could sense something she should never have sensed in the village, hear noises that she should never have heard ever again.   
  
She swallowed thickly and broke into a run, praying that it was not as she thought and knowing it was futile. *Dear God, they've needed me. They've needed me and I've been mourning...!!*  
  
"So, Higurashi, which way… to…." Inuki looked around in the dark. There was no one there. "Higurashi??"  
  
She was gone. He cursed under his breath and sniffed a little bit. The rainwater make tracking her nigh impossible, but he could faintly pick up her scent of honey and plumeria. "Dammit, we're gonna have words when I catch up…!!"  
  
~*~  
  
"HAAAAAA!" The agile mukade dodged the flying bone and Sango cursed slightly as she recaught Hiraikotsu. Miroku was nearby, steadying her in the mud, but the rains were still falling, causing heavy batches of mud sliding down the terraces and knocking villagers down.  
  
As if that weren't problem enough, the huge mukade they battled had a huge, cumbersome body that knocked the very trees out of the ground and crushed those trying to exterminate him. The rain and the dark made visibility close to zero and even for Sango, a trained youkai taijiya, fighting under the conditions they were in was dangerous.   
  
Miroku cursed, grabbing Sango around the waist and backing away as the mukade's poisonous tail struck again in their general direction. Sango landed in a sticky puddle and cursed. "Damn rain…"  
  
The mukade screeched and swung across them again, taking out three houses and over 10 fighters. Sango stood, retaking Hiraikotsu.   
  
"Che, ever since that happened... it's been more difficult to slay demons!!" Sango yelled, and Miroku threw his ofuda, only to have them fizzle on the heavy mukade's body. "We'll have to make do! We must protect this village!!!"  
  
"I wish she was here..." Sango said softly, almost at a level that Miroku couldn't hear. As he dodged another swipe of the poisonous tail, the houshi nodded. "I know. I wish the same."  
  
Almost a full three seconds after Miroku said those words, they and every other villager who battled the large youkai heard the distinct twang of an bowstring.  
  
A faint purple light glowed brightly in the dark torrential rains and slammed into the youkai's side. Three more slammed into him and he collapsed, screeching his defeat. He twitched once, twice, and didn't move.  
  
And just like that, the youkai they had battled for what seemed like hours now, was dead.  
  
Afraid to hope for the best for fear of being let down, Miroku slowly raised his eyes to the shadowed figure on the horizon. A dark, blocky figure lowered the bow, a wisp of dark hair fluttering out from under the hood.  
  
As she came towards the light of the lanterns Miroku heard Sango gasp aloud. Kagome's sad, frightened eyes met theirs. "Minna..."  
  
There were villagers who were closer to her than Miroku or Sango, and they were all obviously shocked but delighted to see her; they burst into almost maniacal laughter and began screaming that their miko-sama had returned, that Kagome-sama was home. One of them grabbed her hands and screamed some more, dragging her through the mud and muck to the other villagers.   
  
The ladies came out of their homes, not caring they were getting wet, and hugged Kagome, bowing and blessing her; the men hollering the Gods had finally taken heed to their prayers and sent back their miko.  
  
The ruckus the village people were making called out the three people Kagome cared to see the most: old Kaede came barging through wondering what in the name of the nine hells was everyone screaming for, while Sango and Miroku tried to make their way through the crowd.  
  
"Kagome-sama!"  
  
"Kagome-chan!"  
  
Tears sprang to Kagome's eyes instantly at the call of her name and she began to fight her way towards them, calling for them as well. She saw Miroku's dark robes finally break way between herself and the villagers and she bowled the houshi over, the two of them landing in the mud. Miroku let out a slight yelp at her ferocity, but locked his arms around her. "Kagome-sama!!"  
  
Kaede echoed her name in shock, and Sango dropped to her knees in the mud also, Kagome seeing the obvious tears on her friend's face, and the taijiya hugged her best friend close. "Kagome-chan!! You came back!! You finally came back!"  
  
"It's a damn miracle." Miroku muttered, loosening his hold on the smaller girl so Sango could hold her as well.  
  
"...sorry..."  
  
Through the noise and the rains Sango and Miroku struggled to catch the weeping girl's words. "I'm sorry!! I'm so, so sorry! I should have come back!! I should have come back sooner!! It was my fault!! I'm so sorry!!"  
  
Sango's eyes filled with tears again and Miroku's face crinkled with emotion. "Kagome-sama…" She looked up. "I'm sorry, I was so stupid! I just… And I couldn't do it anymore! I'm so so sorry!!"  
  
"It's alright, child," Kaede began, patting her wet hair, "Come inside and change from these wet things. I'll make you some hot soup." Kagome nodded, allowing Miroku to help her to her feet.   
  
But as they started back towards Kaede's hut, Kagome gasped abruptly, startling the three of them. "Inuki!! I forgot about him!!!" And just like that she detached from the muddied houshi and ran in the direction of the well.  
  
"Inu...ki?" Miroku echoed, looking at Sango, who looked just as confused, but both hastily jogged after the miko, gasping when she suddenly slammed heavily into another warm body. "Kagome-sama!"  
  
Kagome fell back, cursing her new Bermuda short's ugly demise at the hands of the sticky Sengoku-jidai mud, when the person reached out and caught her. And promptly began to yell.  
  
"What the hell were you thinking, leaving me there?! You wench, do you know how hard it is to catch a scent when it's freakin' raining?! Thank the gods I can freaking SEE!! And you left me in the goddamned wilderness, thanks alot!!"  
  
Miroku and Sango stared, horrified at the voice. Kaede mumbled something, Miroku thought it sounded like "impossible." Apparently undaunted, Kagome jumped up, yelling at the boy in the shadows. "Well excuse me!! I had something important to take care of!"  
  
"Kagome-sama, who is that?" Miroku demanded and Kagome turned. "Oh, Miroku-sama. This is Yashagawa Inuki. A classmate of mine..."  
  
The houshi, taijiya and old miko lifted their eyes to the young man as he came into the light, and Kaede gasped rather audibly. "Dear gods..."  
  
"Inuyasha..." Miroku murmured.  
  
The boy stared back at them, wiping the water from his face and gazing at them from underneath white bangs. "You guys…"  
  
~*~ To be continued ~*~  
  
a/n :: Hey I managed to get Miroku and Sango in there! Yay! Please review~ v^^-  
  
~*~ V^-^V ~*~   
  
~Tessen 


	14. Chapter 13 While You Were Away

Disclaimer:: I don't own Inuyasha. Duh.  
  
____________________________  
  
Inuki  
  
Chapter Thirteen :: While You Were Away  
  
The rain had slowed to soft pitter patters outside the hut, and inside, by the warmth of the fire, a little old miko tended to four sopping wet young people. Inuki was cursing the length of his hair as he wrung out the long strands, while Sango and Miroku eyed him discreetly, still surprised by his familiar appearance. Kagome was changing her clothes behind a folding screen.  
  
"Here," Kaede offered, and Inuki blinked, taking the blanket and wrapping it around his shirtless form. "Oh. Thanks, babaa."  
  
"My name is Kaede."  
  
"Oh yeah, I forgot, Higurashi told me. Kaede-babaa." The old woman did not seem fazed by the name, and sat down at the floor-hearth, stirring the soup. The group of them had changed from their muddy wet clothes into the top picks from Kaede's batch of spare hakama and yukata while their clothes were left to dry.  
  
Kagome appeared from behind the screen, wearing the typical red and white, and running her fingers through her dark hair. Inuki grinned at her. "Look at you. Little Miss Miko-sama. They look better on you than they do me."  
  
She smiled slightly and went to sit between Sango and Miroku, both of whom had put in a good attempt not to gawp, but failed miserably. It sounded so strange hearing a compliment coming out of such a familiar face, especially when said familiar face had once had the habit of spouting only insults.   
  
Kagome smiled bittersweetly. "He's something else, isn't it?" Inuki raised one eyebrow at her comment, curling up underneath the blanket as he began to braid his hair. "I'm not something ya gotta admire, Higurashi." She bit her lip, embarrassed. "Sorry."  
  
As Kaede handed Miroku a bowl of soup, she glanced at the temporarily white-haired boy, eyeing him curiously. "What is your name again?" she asked and Inuki, just finishing the loose braid, didn't even look up. "Inuki."  
  
"That is… uhm, a unique name." Miroku pressed and Inuki nodded. "It's means dog-demon.. or dog-ogre. Something like that. Makes me wonder if my mother had a sense of humor…"  
  
"Please do not take this in offense, but… are you youkai?" Miroku asked and Inuki flashed amber-gold eyes on him, as if sizing him up. After a long moment he tossed his braid over his shoulder and nodded.   
  
"Hanyou really. Half youkai and half human."   
  
"An inuhanyou?" Sango blurted, and when Inuki looked at her in surprise she shrugged. "I guessed inuyoukai by your hair… am I wrong?"  
  
Inuki shook his head, pulling the blanket down at his waist. "No. Good guess. You're Sango, right…? Higurashi told me about you guys before we came… figures you'd get it, being a taijiya and all."   
  
She nodded at his words, as though digesting them, and then looked down uncomfortably. The conversation had reached a dead end. It was so hard not to just press him for answers, but then, what could they possibly ask him?   
  
'Do you remember any of us? Do you remember anything about being Inuyasha?' All this when they weren't even sure if he truly was their friend's reincarnation.  
  
Miroku turned to Kagome. "Kagome-sama, when did you meet Inuki?" The miko was drinking her soup; as she set the bowl back down she answered him.  
  
"A month ago. He goes to school with me."  
  
Sango held back a soft giggle and when they all looked at her, she put a hand to her mouth. "I'm sorry," she attempted, "But that's just incredibly ironic. Inuyasha hated the fact that you had to leave all the time to go school. That he would be reborn and endure it is funny."  
  
Kagome smiled. "Yeah I guess it is, I never thought about it…"  
  
Kaede looked at Kagome seriously. "Have you been doing well, child?" Kagome shrugged. "As well as I can, I guess… It was hard for awhile, I had alot of work to catch up on from being out of school so long. And…" she looked down at her half-empty bowl, rubbing her finger over the rim. "I.. kept hoping one day Inuyasha would come to get me."  
  
Miroku and Sango exchanged glances, and abruptly Kagome looked up, ignoring the pools of tears in her eyes. She sniffled, brushing them away quickly. "I came to catch up with you guys. How were things here??"  
  
Sango opened her mouth to speak and then shut it, looking sorrowful. Kagome looked at her friend with concern. "Sango-chan?"  
  
"Kagome-chan, it was hard for us too, while you were gone. We didn't know if you were coming back… and if you were, when; we just didn't know. We had wanted to wait, we really did, but--"  
  
Kagome recognized the reason behind the other young woman's hesitation. As much as she told herself she had wanted them to, she had still feared that her friends had gone on with their lives without her. And it hurt, no matter how happy she was for them.   
  
But she wouldn't show that, not on her life. "You and Miroku-sama got married?"  
  
Sango blushed, turning her face down. Miroku grinned widely at her embarrassment, giving his bride's hand a squeeze. "A month after you left."  
  
Kagome looked at the houshi in surprise, then laughed and threw her arms around Sango's shoulders, then Miroku's. She smiled as she pulled away, holding both friends' hands. "I'm so glad!!! And I'm so sorry I missed it!"  
  
"Well that's not all," Sango persisted, looking a little sheepish, and Kagome turned to her. "There's something else?"  
  
Sango's sheepish grin widened. "I'm going to have a baby."  
  
Kagome gawped. She looked at Miroku, who was looking away with a badly suppressed grin, and Kaede nodded. "As the village doctor I have examined Sango-dono. She's three months pregnant."   
  
"A honeymoon baby, huh?" the young miko commented with a wicked smile, before giving another high-pitched squeal and latching onto her friend. Abruptly she pulled away, wincing. "Ah, gomen!" Gently she patted Sango's flat stomach. "Did I hug too hard??"  
  
"Kagome-chan~~" Sango turned beet red at the miko's actions, while her husband simply laughed.   
  
Miroku wiped tears of laughter from one eye, smiling. "Kagome-sama, you seem better. I am glad that sending you home did you some good. Inuyasha would not have been pleased had you not regained your cheerfulness."  
  
Kagome stopped, turning to him in surprise. Regained her cheerfulness?? She sank back on her knees slowly, suddenly pensive by Miroku's remark. Had she? The five months after Inuyasha's death had been devastating.   
  
They all had lost a guardian, a comrade, a cherished friend; and Kagome had lost her best friend and the love of her life. She had refused to go on without him, as though one day someone had simply denied her oxygen.  
  
After the hanyou's burial, Kagome did not eat, nor sleep, nor speak. She stayed outside by Inuyasha's grave for days on end, refusing to leave his side for even a moment. She had eventually become sick, which Kaede diagnosed as exhaustion, if not plain heartsickness.  
  
It had taken an entire month for Kagome to regain strength enough, both physically and spiritually, to return home. But even at home things did not change. She walked through life blind, detached from everything and everyone, with no drive or passion at all.  
  
And suddenly Inuki appeared in her life. He crept into her school, worked himself into her home. Over the course of a week she had realized his presence made the hurt fade, and that if he left her side, she would miss him.  
  
She had smiled more in the past month with him than she had in the previous five months alone. She smiled softly, glancing over at the boy in question. He had pulled back the bamboo-roll door, watching the rain with eyes that sliced through the dark and the muck like a hot knife through butter.  
  
Kagome nodded. "I guess I did…"  
  
~*~  
  
He felt like a fifth wheel as Kagome chattered with her friends about Sango's pregnancy, or the other miscellaneous events taking place in the village. This is what they had come for, this is why he had suggested it. She needed this, to be at her friends' sides and catch up. To refamiliarize herself with the life she had left behind so that if she needed to cry about him again, it wouldn't be so awkward.  
  
But he felt like he shouldn't have come. It wasn't right that he be here and see the proud look on Miroku's face when Sango talked about their baby, or hear the embarrassed giggles Sango had when she discussed their marriage and the little quirks Miroku had now that he wasn't the world's most lecherous bachelor anymore.   
  
Inuyasha was supposed to see it, not him. He wasn't Inuyasha, and he wasn't a part of their little group. He was experiencing that out of place feeling again, the feeling that he was a foreigner and didn't belong.  
  
But he kept his mouth shut and examined the hut in which they sat instead. The old but sturdy wood, obviously standing the test of time. It smelled of the earthen floor, the herbs Kaede dealt with daily. He could smell the fresh pine firewood stacked by the hearth, its spicy aroma flooding his augmented senses.   
  
The crackling embers popped and sputtered, a soft symphony against the sound of the rain outside, pattering a soft rhythm against the earth. From his corner it was easy to reach out and hold the bamboo-roll door open and watch the rain. He didn't have anything else to do, that was all for Miroku and Sango and Kaede and….  
  
"Hey where's the fox-kid? Shippou?" he demanded, abruptly realizing the short fluffball from the picture wasn't present.   
  
"Oh," began Sango, "Shippou left awhile back. He said he was going back home to bury his father's fur and then he would return."  
  
"By himself?!" Kagome looked up, rightly horrified. Kaede nodded. "Houshi-dono and Sango-dono asked if he would prefer that they follow and he politely denied."  
  
"He told us he wanted to handle it on it own," Miroku reiterated, then glanced at her. "He's grown up quite a bit since you saw him last. Once he said no, Sango and I really had no more to say."   
  
Kagome blinked at the houshi in surprise. "Shippou-chan did?" At the subsequent affirmation, she sighed. *He grew up... and I didn't even notice.* Her smile was bittersweet as she smoothed out the wrinkles in her hakama. "Shippou-chan would've loved to meet Yashagawa-kun…"  
  
"You say that as if you're not coming back again." Sango accused, then worriedly she leaned forward to look her friend in the eye. "After you leave, you're still coming back, aren't you?"  
  
"Yeah, she is." The group looked up at Inuki. He looked at them pointedly and Miroku and Sango felt chills run through them at the well-known intensity of his yellow eyes. "She's coming back until I say it's okay."  
  
Kagome turned an annoyed pout his way. "Hey you, you're not the boss of me," Kagome chastised, "And you're not my psychiatrist!"  
  
"It's not like you've been in the best of moods while NOT coming," he said sharply, "If I see you mope out of your bedroom one more day on the way to school--"  
  
"I do not MOPE! Where in the world did you get that?!"  
  
"Inuki, you intend to return with her as well though, correct?" Miroku asked, cutting the would-be argument short, and Inuki looked stupefied for a moment. "Me?"  
  
"You mean you weren't going to?" Sango sounded disappointed. Inuki looked away. "Why do you guys want me to come back, you hardly know me…"  
  
"We were like to get to know you," Miroku said, "You may look like Inuyasha but you're not him. Just as Kagome-sama resembled Kikyou-sama, they are not the same. I doubt you and Inuyasha are alike when it comes down to it."  
  
Inuki just stared at them. Miroku looked inquisitive as he waited for the boy's reply, and Sango smiled. "It would be nice to have you back."  
  
Inuki nodded. "O-okay. I'll come back."  
  
Miroku grinned. "Wonderful. Well then, it is getting rather late. We should all go to bed." Kagome raised an eyebrow and Miroku smiled, raising his hands. "No, no. I'm a married man now Kagome-sama, and I'm no longer a delinquent or a lecher-- ow ow~"  
  
Sango gave a slight tug on his ear, nodded sarcastically. "Yeah right. Kagome-chan, I'll see you tomorrow morning."  
  
"Where are you going??" Kagome wondered numbly and Sango gestured south of Kaede's hut. "Our house is on the southern end of the village," Her smile grew very proud as she said, "Miroku-sama built it for me after we got married."  
  
Miroku looked down, closing his eyes, and Kagome could sense the embarrassment in his voice. "Sango, I did not 'build' it, I commissioned several of the men in the village to build it for me and the only work I actually did was trying to get them to take only half price for their efforts… I don't know how to build a house and I'll ask you again to stop telling everyone that!"  
  
"But you did build it, Miroku-sama," she said, "I saw you doing heavy lifting and hammering and stuff like that~" The houshi cleared his throat and took their clothes off the rack where they were drying. "We will see you tomorrow, Kagome-sama, Inuki."  
  
Sango smiled amusedly at Kagome. "See you tomorrow." Kagome nodded with a pleased laugh, waving goodbye as she curled up on a pallet next to Kaede-baachan.  
  
While she straightened the blanket around her, Kagome looked up at Inuki. He had settled against the corner, arms folded over his bare chest. The thin blanket was draped over his shoulders. "Yashagawa-kun?"  
  
Two glittery gold eyes opened and trained on her. "What?"  
  
She smiled at him. "Thank you for coming with me."  
  
Inuki turned away, glancing out towards the door. "Keh. It's not like I did anything. Go to sleep, we'll probably end up missing school because of this, but we still don't need to be sleeping in until noon."   
  
Kagome nodded and lay down, folding one arm underneath her head as a pillow, fidgeting and squirming until she was comfortable.  
  
Keh. It's not like I did anything.  
  
*You're wrong. Because of you, I was able to make it this far. If you hadn't been by my side, I would turned away at the wellhouse door… I would never have been able to smile again.*  
  
"Thank you…"  
  
~*~ To be continued ~*~  
  
a/n :: It's getting harder to get chapters out. My inspiration is getting to where it takes a good swift kick in the rear to get it to come. But I'm still alive, and still working hard to bring more Inuki to you at the same quality you expect from me. Please stick with me, reality's throwing me through the wringer and I appreciate you guys' support TONS v^^-  
  
Anyway, notes on the chapter, lol-- Yes, I KNOW Shippou's father's body disappeared when he used kitsune-bi to protect Kagome and Shippou from Hiten's attack in volume 4. I needed a reason for Shippou to be gone (he's coming back, don't worry) so if you don't like it, tough. ;p  
  
Please review!  
  
~*~ V^-^V ~*~   
  
~Tessen 


	15. Chapter 14 Youki

Thank you guys for the support, encouragement, chocolate and swift kicks in the rear. lol They were all (yes, even my poor sore behind thanks you) much appreciated. V^^V  
  
This chapter is longer than usual; as easy as it is to come out with short quick chapters, I'm so long-winded~ lol Anyway, not a lot of fluff in this chapter, but you do get a smidgen, plus Inuki kicking ass~ Enjoy!!  
  
Disclaimer:: I don't own Inuyasha~~ Wish I did, TONS of times. But I don't.  
  
____________________________  
  
Inuki  
  
Chapter Fourteen :: Youki  
  
Kagome woke the next morning feeling refreshed and strangely lighter, as if the burden she'd been carrying had been lifted from her shoulders. All the worry about her friends and the feelings of guilt she'd had for leaving them was gone, replaced by a serene air of elation that made her feel like she was floating.  
  
There was no one else in Kaede's house when she sat up, but her clothes were washed and folded at the end of her pallet. The Bermuda shorts, camisole and nightrobe had nothing but the scent of soaps on it, and looking over her outfit realized how unprepared and silly the clothes were for returning to the era where wars were everyday events.  
  
She redressed quickly, eyeing her muddied tennis shoes distastefully. Thankfully, someone had left a pair of sandals at the door for her and she slipped them on, running her fingers through her hair and giving the mussed waves a quick bounce as she headed out into the village.  
  
It was déjà vu. This time last year, she had just been pulled into the Sengoku-jidai by Mukade-jorou. She had woken the next morning to the villagers tending wounded and repairing homes.  
  
Some circumstances were different this time. This time last year, she hadn't even begun her quest to gather Shikon shards; the glass ball was still in one piece. Inuyasha had just been collared and wasn't enjoying any moment of it, and Kagome had still thought he was a serious jerk, Kaede-baachan was possibly senile, and the whole adventure was all one huge fantasy.  
  
But as she stepped from Kaede's home, she was greeted with the image of old Japan's village men cutting and trimming wood, sitting atop homes as they repaired the damaged roofs. Two younger men, a little older than her, walked by carrying wood, and met her with wide smiles as they passed.  
  
The mukade's body, in addition to the heavy rain, had wrecked the fields. Most of the women were repairing the uprooted fledgling plants, and they sang heartily as they did this, moving in time to the rhythm. Several had babies strapped to their backs, and the infants snoozed away in their blankets, unawares of their surroundings.   
  
The corners of Kagome's mouth turned up faintly as she watched a group of young children run by, playing tag or some other mindless child fun. They ranged in size from just barely learning to walk to her little brother's age, and they all paused to wave and say good morning to Kagome-mikosama before scrabbling back into their game.  
  
A little further away, near the mukade's body, Kagome found Sango and Miroku. With them was a small group, consisting of the rest of the village woman and some young men. The girls were all Kagome's age or a little older, as were the men.  
  
Sango was sitting next to the mukade with a large knife in hand, slowing making cuts in his outer shell, and between cuts explaining each move as though teaching. Miroku was watching, occasionally commenting.  
  
Kagome raised one eyebrow, confused. What were her two friends doing?? She wandered over, and as she approached Miroku noticed her. "Ah, Kagome-sama! Good morning."  
  
At that, everyone looked up, and Sango smiled at her friend. "Kagome-chan!" The students the taijiya taught bowed respectfully and Kagome greeted them with warm smiles before looking over the mess her friend had made.  
  
"Sango-chan, what in the world are you doing??"  
  
The other girl smiled with slight embarrassment. "Considering all of the youkai attacks this village gets, several of the villagers expressed wishes to learn my trade. So I started passing down the basic fighting skills, weapons training and knowledge my father taught me."  
  
Kagome nodded, eyes brightening. "Of course. That's wonderful. And this would be…?" Sango gestured to the shelling of the mukade's body. "I'm making armor. A taijiya isn't just fighting skills; you must be able to use as much of the youkai as you can."  
  
"It will be especially useful within the next coming months, seeing as how Sango will be unable to wield Hiraikotsu." Miroku commented, and Sango turned a wicked eye on him. "Why wouldn't I? Having a child doesn't make me incompetent!!"  
  
"If you try to lift that heavy thing when you are nine months pregnant, dear, I will have to restrain you forcibly." Miroku told her. Sango's eyes narrowed. "Excuse me??" Kagome laughed lightly at their mild bickering, causing the two to blush a little.  
  
"Anyway," Kagome began, "Where's Yashagawa-kun??"  
  
"I'm here," called a familiar voice, and Kagome turned, looking around in confusion. The voice sounded annoyed when he added, "Up, you pig-headed girl."  
  
Her eyes fell on the first tree she found. Inuki was lazing on a branch about twenty feet high, one leg hanging off the side. His hair was once again as black as night, tied back in a tight braid that reminded her of the Shichinintai leader, Bankotsu.  
  
"Good morning," she said to him, and Inuki nodded. Without skipping a beat he added, "I'm bored, let's go home." Kagome made a face at him. "You're rather blunt."  
  
Inuki shrugged, his face twisting into a somewhat angry expression. "I've been up since before the sun came up this morning! I didn't sleep well and there's nothing to do. How in the world did you manage to stay away from home long enough to fail classes??"  
  
Kagome planted bother hands on her hips, fixing a cold stare on him. "I'll have you know that when I was coming here all the time it was for a damn important reason. Looking for shards of the Shikon no Tama takes time you know. I wasn't just sitting around here bored."  
  
"Then let's go hunt youkai or something. Whatever. I just can't sit around all day," he complained, and Miroku laughed nervously. "He's very uhm.. violent," the houshi told Kagome, and she shrugged. "Not nearly as bad as Inuyasha."  
  
"Well for a human--"  
  
"I'm not human," Inuki called from the treetops, and they all looked up at him. Black eyes narrowed in their direction. "I'm hanyou. Even in this form, I'm still half demon. My blood just recedes a little, but I can still hear, smell, see and fight with my youkai strength."  
  
"I see," Miroku amended. Sango looked up at the half-bred boy. "Inuki, what do the people in your time think of you being half-demon?"  
  
"They don't know." At his simple reply the houshi and the taijiya looked up in surprise. Inuki looked at them in confusion. "What? It's too hard to tell unless you know what to feel for. And I look human enough, except on the night of the full moon."  
  
He paused, allowing the two to digest this, then folded his hands behind his head. "Besides, people in our time don't believe in youkai anymore. Some youkai survived the eras obviously, but people don't really pay much attention."  
  
Miroku and Sango looked surprised at this revelation about the future, and Kagome turned to them, looking a bit agitated. "Well, we should get home actually. I didn't tell anyone we were leaving, and you have to teach."  
  
"Alright," Miroku agreed, and Kagome paused, as if wanting to say something and not knowing if she should. After a long moment she went to Miroku and Sango and hugged them both. For a long time the three of them said nothing. When Kagome pulled away she brushed away the tear or two that had fallen.  
  
"I missed you both so much while I was away… Thank you for not being angry with me…" Miroku patted her hair gently. "There was no reason to worry about such a thing, Kagome-sama." Sango nodded, her smile wavering slightly. "We forgave you a long time ago."  
  
The girl nodded and then her smile returned, bright and cheery. "We'll come back soon, I promise."  
  
The couple watched their friends head into the forest towards the bone-eating well, and Sango knelt again on the ground, retaking her blade. She started to continue with her lesson, but Miroku noticed something in her eyes, resembling regret. He frowned. "Sango, what's the matter?"  
  
"We didn't tell her about Katsuseki."  
  
Miroku frowned, looking down at his bride. He wasn't angry with her; more annoyed than anything. They had discussed this several times, both between each other and with Kaede. But Sango wouldn't leave it alone. "We've been through this. I thought we decided it best not to disturb her with such news. Unless he continues to make a fuss, we should leave it alone. You said that yourself."  
  
"That was before I saw her. Miroku-sama, can you imagine how angry she would be with us? If we didn't tell her about Katsuseki's violation of--" With a look that curbed any further argument, Miroku said, "Sango, we truly do not know what Katsuseki's aim is. It would only pain Kagome-sama if we told her such news without information regarding Katsuseki's reasons."  
  
Sango turned away, glaring down at the knife in her hand. Yes, she had agreed. It was sensible, it was more logical, to do it the way they had agreed upon. But now she only felt that it was wrong. There were no other words for it, it was simply wrong to not tell Kagome-chan what had happened while she was gone.   
  
What had happened to Inuyasha's grave.  
  
The taijiya took a deep breath, letting the anger flow out of her. Then she looked up at her students. "After that cut, you twist the blade like this and continue cutting…"  
  
~*~  
  
It was a beautiful day. Considerably wet because of last night's storm, but still beautiful. The dark clouds had moved on, leaving the endlessly blue sky open to view. The trees seemed greener and more alive. The air was cleaner, free of the acrid stench of chemicals and car exhaust that burned his nostrils.  
  
Inuki felt peace in this place, and the memory reminded him much of the faint memories he had of his mother. The memory of the serenity of her room and her soft scent soothed him even now when he was upset.  
  
He glanced over at Kagome. The scent of tears had faded, but it clung to her still, and it continued to weigh his mind. She cried so easily when he came to the subject of Inuyasha, or her friends. It made him glad to know that her friends meant so much to her, but the feeling was bittersweet. Because he knew he could never hold a place of his own in her heart; he would always only be "Inuyasha's reincarnation."  
  
He was stirred from his thoughts by the thick stink of youkai. He stopped abruptly, grabbing Kagome's arm. "Wait," he whispered harshly.  
  
The miko froze. "What?"  
  
"Don't say anything," he whispered, pulling her close to him. Kagome blushed at their close proximity, but the sound of his heart racing in her ears spurred on her own fear, and she drew up against him anxiously.  
  
She watched him search the area with his eyes, the hair on the back of his neck and his arms raising slightly. There was a soft growl coming from his throat as he bent his head, his voice low in her ear. "When I tell you to, run for the well."  
  
"What is it," she asked and Inuki cracked his knuckles. "Snake youkai. I don't think it's seen us yet."  
  
"Wait, what are you gonna do?" Kagome demanded in a rough whisper, and Inuki looked down at her. "Protect you. I'll fight it while you get away."  
  
"I'm not leaving you! I didn't leave you while you fought a bunch of high school punks so how can you ask me to leave you fighting this?!"  
  
Inuki turned a sharp glare on her. "Because it's more dangerous and I'm not gonna watch you get hurt. I can't stand it." His eyes went back to the surrounding clearing and his body tensed against her. "Shit."  
  
Kagome was about to wonder what he meant when she followed his gaze and she gasped. A huge snake, its head the length of Kagome's body and the rest of its body proportionate, was eyeing them like they were lunch.   
  
It was mostly black, with flecks of greenish-gray sprayed over its back. Two large almond-shaped eyes peered at them, sizing them up as a slithery tongue flicked out, once, twice. Kagome's fingers knotted in the fabric of his windbreaker, and Inuki struggled to pull the frightened girl off of him. "Higurashi, go."  
  
"No."  
  
"Just do what I say!"  
  
"I can't leave you!!"  
  
"RUN!" he yelled in her face, and the startled girl released him, stumbling backwards. Inuki growled threateningly. "If you don't get the hell out of here…"  
  
Kagome finally turned and ran for the well. The snake turned its slitted green eyes to her and Inuki raised his hand, cracking his knuckles. "Oh no you don't, you slithering bastard! I'm your opponent!!" He leapt forward, raising his claws. Since he hadn't had the opportunity to cut them short since last night, they were still fairly long, two inches at least.  
  
He raked them down the snake's scaly side. It was a fairly deep wound, gouging deep to the snake's bones inside. It gave a screech of pain and swung at him, and the hanyou dodged easily, leaping backwards with a strength he'd never known he possessed.   
  
It was hard enough hiding his superhuman strength, speed and other various oddities from the world he lived in, but this was the first time he'd ever had the chance to delve into his own powers. He'd always felt like he was floating, but this time, he felt like he could really open up.  
  
It felt amazing as he hardly pushed off the ground and went sailing thirty feet into the air, landing on a branch with the grace of a gold-medal gymnast, his natural balance leveling him out. From his place in the trees he could see the snake looking for him, and he saw his opening.   
  
Inuki dropped down, digging his claws in deep and dragging down. The snake roared again in anger, but this time it brought its body up in an attack from behind, slamming into Inuki's side.  
  
The hanyou gasped in pain as he was thrown, and his body crashed into a tree, sliding down in a heap. *Shit,* he thought to himself as he forced himself to his feet, *I've never done this before. Fighting punks at school and fighting youkai are completely different…*  
  
He glared up at the snake, which had raised its upper body ominously over him, hissing loudly. *I need a weapon,* Inuki thought, *My claws aren't gonna do shit to this sonnuva bitch…*  
  
~*~  
  
Kagome panted as she took the stairs two at a time, huffing and puffing to her bedroom. Her mother and Souta followed her in a worried fright, voices drowning out each other's as they demanded questions. Where had she been all night? What was going on? Where was Inuki?  
  
Kagome ignored them for the most part, dropping to her knees by her bed and reaching underneath. Her fingers knocked into something hard and she drew it out, unraveling Inuyasha's coat from around Tessaiga's sheathe. She paused for only a moment to catch her breath before she was on her feet again, brushing past Mama and her little brother.  
  
"Kagome!" Her mother's annoyed voice finally halted the high school girl, and she turned. "What is going on?!"  
  
"Yashagawa-kun and I went to see Miroku-sama and Sango-chan… We're in trouble, I don't have time to talk, Mama! I'll be back in a little while! I promise!!"  
  
Her mother could only stammer a response as Kagome headed back outside, tucking the sword close to her chest and running as fast as her legs would allow her back towards the well. She could sense the snake's jyaki the moment she stepped out into the past, and the trees were a blur as she ran back to him.  
  
Only one thought pounded in her head. *Inuyasha, please let Yashagawa-kun use Tessaiga~ please lend him your strength!!*  
  
The black-haired boy was still standing, and he looked fine with the exception of one arm hugging his stomach. Kagome went to his side, and ignored his angry stare. "What the hell are you--" he started and she shook her head, pressing Tessaiga to him.   
  
"Shut up and use this!"  
  
Inuki looked at the sword, dumbfounded, before pulling the sword from its sheathe. His mouth hung open slightly at the state of the old sword, and he glared at her. "You expect me to used this rusted, beat up, blunt sword to fight him? Higurashi, I know you think I'm stupid but--"  
  
"You have to transform it," she cut him off again, "You have youki. As a hanyou you can hold it, but you have to use your youki transform the sword!"  
  
Inuki looked at her in confusion, not know what she meant when she said he could hold it, and of course he had youki; he'd had it all his life, she didn't need to tell him that. Abruptly any further conversation was cut short when the snake grew tired of waiting, and Inuki shoved her out of the way and leapt back himself, allowing the serpent to go crashing into the ground between them.   
  
As he passed behind it, Inuki struck the snake's back with the blade, and it bounced off the youkai's scales, wobbling and shaking. He cursed under his breath. "Damn thing couldn't cut butter, Higurashi!"  
  
"Transform it! I know you can do it!!"  
  
At the sound of her voice the snake turned towards her, and Kagome let out a squeak of dismay. Her hand patted around her for her bow before she realized she didn't have it with her. She'd left it at Kaede's house!!  
  
The large youkai hissed at the miko and, recognizing its stance, Inuki's heart shot to his throat. His hand clenched around the sword in his hand and he raced after the snake, the blade raised. "NO! HIGURASHI!"  
  
For a moment, time stopped. There was a bright flash of gold light and the snake stopped. Its body flopped to the ground, dead, just feet from Kagome. Inuki was behind it, one hand resting on the hilt of the transformed Tessaiga, which was driven straight through the snake's heart.  
  
The boy slipped to his knees, panting as he eyed the blade he held. Some sort of rugged fur had sprouted where the handle had been, and the blade itself had quadrupled in size. It gave off a faint aura of power, glowing mystically even though it was a little dark underneath the canopy of the forest.  
  
"Tessaiga," he whispered softly, then wondered where the word had come from. It had just appeared in his head.  
  
Kagome was still in a little bit of awe. She had only hoped Inuki was capable of wielding the sword; actually watching him use it had been pretty amazing. She wandered over, looking down gratefully at him. "Yashagawa-kun… you saved my life." He shook his head, half-laughing. "Don't mention--"  
  
Kagome cut him off yet again, this time by wrapping her arms around his head and shoulders in a gentle hug. Inuki caught his breath, a red blush flooding his cheeks. "Ah.. Higurashi?"  
  
"Thank you," she said quietly, and Inuki looked at the ground with embarrassment. After a moment he relaxed, reaching up and touching her hand.  
  
"You're welcome…"  
  
~*~ To be continued ~*~  
  
a/n :: Btw the title, "Youki" means "demon aura." Not to be confused with "youryoku" which is "demon strength." (They're similar but definitely different things~)  
  
Hey a hint of a plot! (that hint would be 'Katsuseki') You know, I hope my wonderful reviewers aren't reading each other's reviews, because SOME of you (jgirl79 and Meyu) are reading my mind and giving the story away~!!!! When I said give suggestions I didn't mean go clairvoyant on me!! lol (I'm just playin' Im not mad or anything~) v^_^  
  
Anyway, since saying that will only make everyone go read it to find out what it was I'll go ahead and say this: Inuyasha WILL be making an appearance. ::waits for cheers to die down::   
  
But so as not to reuse the original plot (I hate that) I tweaked it. You will see how fairly soon. v^^- And in accord with jgirl's suggestion, as you noticed, obviously Inuki can use Tessaiga~ (I have a picture of that on deviant if you wanna go and look~ PS, j-chan, I LOVE that movie!! Makes me cry~~)  
  
Okie, my piece is said. Off to work on chapter 15, please review!! v^^-  
  
~*~ V^-^V ~*~   
  
~Tessen 


	16. Chapter 15 Katsuseki's Goal

Disclaimer:: Nope, no owning here. v^^-  
  
____________________________  
  
Inuki  
  
Chapter Fifteen :: Katsuseki's Goal  
  
Kagome pulled away from the young man, blushing slightly. She hadn't even realized what she was doing until she had; it was that natural. Mentally she berated herself, 'He's not Inuyasha, not Inuyasha.' She clasped her hands together, shoulders drooping. She hated feeling this way. It was wrong to treat Yashagawa-kun like she would have Inuyasha, but it was so hard, especially when nothing he did made him unique.  
  
She turned. "How are your wounds? Are you alright?"  
  
"Fine…" Inuki replied, still terribly embarrassed by her gesture. It wasn't that he didn't appreciate her show of gratitude --or that he didn't like it-- but where she'd chosen to be, wrapped around his head, was… awkward. He looked up at her. "Just some bruised ribs. I'll be okay."  
  
She nodded at him, acknowledging that, and took a few steps towards the well. "We should get back home." Inuki nodded at her back and stood, pulling Tessaiga out of the ground. The great sword changed back into the rusted samurai blade it usually resembled, and the boy looked at it with surprise.  
  
"It changed back…"  
  
Kagome turned to look at him and nodded, confirming his words. "Tessaiga is Inuyasha's sword. Only a hanyou can touch it; there's a barrier that prevents youkai from even setting a finger on it."  
  
At that, Inuki frowned, slamming the blade back into its sheathe. He gazed at it, eyes narrowed. It was Inuyasha's damned sword. That made him angry, and he wasn't completely sure why.   
  
He knew that something in him had longed for the rusted old sword and that same thing had rejoiced at the feeling it in his hands, as if he had held it once before and lost it. It felt familiar in his hands; the weight of it, the feel of the wooden sheathe. His lips drooped into a pout as he caught up to Kagome's side. He sighed and handed it back to her. "You probably want this back, huh?"  
  
"Uh," Kagome managed, taking it back in surprise. She looked down at it and then back up at Inuki. "Yashagawa-kun, you don't want it?"  
  
"It ain't mine," Inuki told her, waving a general backwards in her general direction as he trudged towards the well. He heard the rustling of grass as she followed slowly, several steps behind him. Inuki cursed under his breath, finding himself hardly caring that Kagome was… well whatever she was.   
  
She'd grown quiet, as if he'd hurt her feelings by giving back the sword. Or let her down maybe. *As if I cared whether or not she's disappointed in me,* he thought, rubbing the place where his ribs ached from the snake youkai's strike. Yeah, those were definitely bruised.  
  
"Well if you don't want it, I'll gladly take it."  
  
At this new voice the pair of teenagers looked up, swiftly glancing around them for the source of the voice. It took a moment, but their eyes eventually fell upon a tall figure standing in the trees. He was young, perhaps a little older than them, and he was dressed elaborately in fancy silks and heavy armor in the style of a highly-decorated warrior.  
  
He had a very pretty face framed by blood red hair pulled back in a high ponytail. His eyes the same sharp green the snake's had been. Long nails ended each finger, but however elaborate and otherworldly he looked, he had human ears. Had it not been for the ears Kagome would have been sure he was a youkai, considering the jyaki he was giving off. He looked as harmless as Miroku --which, considering his past, wasn't that harmless-- but by the cynical smirk on his face, it was almost certain he was an enemy.  
  
"Who the hell are you?" Inuki demanded, and the man dropped to the ground slowly, his boots setting down on the grass with a soft rustle. He knelt at the snake's side, running his hands over the scales. His expression shifted to something slightly sad as he looked over the snake's corpse. "You bastard," he said pitifully, "Hebi-chan was my favorite pet and you've killed her."  
  
"I said who the hell are you, you whiny bitch," Inuki repeated. The man looked at them, and the sad look fell away, replaced by a wide grin. "My name is Katsuseki. And I've come for the Tessaiga."  
  
Inuki snorted. "Come for it? Like we're just going to hand it over? How stupid are you?"  
  
"Besides," Kagome began, hugging the sword to her chest, "Youkai can't use it."  
  
Katsuseki stood, taking a few steps forward. "Little miko… You've been away too long." With a sudden burst of speed he shot forward, his face inches from hers. Kagome let out a squeak, stepping back, but the man caught her shoulder, holding her still. One long fingernail traced down her cheekbone. "Can't you tell I'm not a youkai?"  
  
Inuki ran forward with a growl, shoving Katsuseki away from Kagome, and stepping between them. "Lay another hand on her and I promise you'll be choking on knuckles in an instant."  
  
"My my, touchy, aren't we?" Katsuseki said with a smile. "Of course, why wouldn't you be threatened. She's your woman, after all."  
  
"What did you say?"  
  
The other man looked surprised. The smile turned condescending, and his voice softened, as if he were speaking to a child. "That IS a surprise. Didn't she tell you? You're the reincarnation of her mutt."  
  
Inuki growled and Kagome's face tightened in anger. "Inuyasha was not a mutt!! Besides, how did you know?! Even I'm not sure--"  
  
"Oh, I'm sure." Katsuseki replied, placing one hand on his hip. He looked Inuki in the eye. "After all it was I called for your rebirth, Inuyasha."  
  
Inuki raised one eyebrow, confused. "What?"  
  
"Katsuseki!!!"  
  
All eyes turned towards the village, where Sango and Miroku were coming through the trees. Sango carried Hiraikotsu at her back, and on one shoulder, Miroku held Kagome's quiver and bow. Katsuseki grinned widely at their threatening expressions. "The houshi and his little wife. How amusing. How'd you know I was here?"  
  
"Your aura is stained with that horrible jyaki," Miroku told him, "Even a normal human would be sickened by the evil you possess."  
  
At the houshi's words, Katsuseki bowed with a large smile. "Thank you for the compliment."  
  
"Jyaki or not," Inuki growled, "This bastard's all human. Why do you want the Tessaiga??" Before Katsuseki could reply, Miroku raised an inquisitive eyebrow. "Tessaiga?" The houshi's face grew angry. "Is that why?! Why you've terrorized this village? Why you…" He stopped suddenly, glancing over at Kagome. This wasn't the way he wanted to tell her. But Katsuseki did it instead.  
  
"Why I went rummaging through Inuyasha's grave?"  
  
The young miko's face paled. Her hands clenched around Tessaiga's sheathe, trembling. "You.. what??"  
  
Katsuseki nodded once, his smile widening. "I did. I ripped open the earth where you had laid that mangled body of his and searched it. I guess you could call me a graverobber of sorts. But I was looking for that." He gestured at Tessaiga. The smile grew deceptively warm.  
  
"Oh, Kagome," he said softly, "How much Inuyasha's changed in the six months since he dropped dead. His hair had worms in it. Those pretty clothes you all put him in to send him on his way to the afterlife were all weathered and dirty."  
  
Pools of tears quivered in her brown eyes, her lips trembling as she grated out, "Stop it."  
  
"Worst of all was the stink. Not just because he was a dog. But have you ever smelled decomposing flesh? It's disgusting."  
  
"STOP IT!"  
  
The cry came not from Kagome, but from Inuki. The hanyou rushed forward, raking his claws down Katsuseki's side. The armor on his left side cracked and fell to piece, hanging off, but Inuki wasn't finished. The other came up just as quickly, catching Katsuseki's face.  
  
The human was oddly quick, backstepping swiftly enough to avoid having his head chopping in two. Instead there was only a thin line of blood running from his temple to his jaw. He smiled. "You're not so tough. Inuyasha was stronger."  
  
He struck out with his fist, slamming Inuki in the jaw. The hanyou boy went down with a grunt of pain, but dug his claws into the soft dirt, pushing himself back up and using his momentum to bring his leg up in a hard kick. His heel trashed the right side of Katsuseki's face, and the man cursed, not having seen the move coming.  
  
Inuki finished the almost cartwheel he'd executed and once back on his feet rushed forward, fists ready. He lunged forward and Katsuseki dodged to the side. In the one instant of his dodge, his eyes blazed as red as his hair.  
  
Inuki felt something swell up from his attacker, and paused for that instant, confused. *Humans don't have youki--*  
  
Katsuseki swiped forward, his long nails aimed for Inuki's face. The hanyou pushed himself to the side, but wasn't quite quick enough to dodge Katsuseki's attack completely. Kagome let out a frightened cry when she saw the human's long nails connect. Sango tensed, her hand tightening on Hiraikotsu's tether. "Inuki!!"  
  
"Wait," Miroku said, putting out his hand to stop his wife, and she paused. Inuki brought his knee up into Katsuseki's chest, and the human coughed, backing away. Free for a moment, Inuki stood to his full height, and it was then Kagome saw the "damage" Katsuseki had inflicted.  
  
Inuki's long black hair now just barely brushed the back of his shoulders. His braid had been cut loose, and it lay on the ground, still braided and tied. Inuki reached back and ran a few fingers through the uneven ends, surprised by it. Then he looked up. "Is that all the damage you can do? You gave me a haircut?"  
  
Katsuseki frowned. "I'm going easy on you. You think you could handle my full strength??"  
  
At this Inuki smirked. "By all means, kick my ass."  
  
Katsuseki's eyes blazed at Inuki's insolent remark. The man lowered himself, readying to charge, but before he got very far, a solitary voice echoed throughout the clearing.  
  
*Katsuseki, no!!* The small group paused, and Katsuseki stopped so suddenly he almost whiplashed himself. "But, Sada…"  
  
*NO!* roared the voice, and to Kagome it sounded much like a child throwing a temper tantrum. Katsuseki stopped, pulling himself up to full height, as the voice continued. *Now is not the time to be angry. Come back now.*  
  
Katsuseki sighed and turned his eyes back to Inuki. The red orbs faded back to the piercing green they had been moments ago. "I'll be back," he warned the group, his body beginning to fade. Before it faded completely, Inuki smirked at him. "I'll be ready."  
  
And then he was gone. Inuki hung his head, breathing out heavily. *Living in this era is like living in a freaking war zone,* he thought, before pausing, *Of course, this is the Sengoku-jidai… the warring era…*  
  
"Makes sense," he said aloud, then turned, noticing his black braid on the grass. Oh yeah, that bastard had cut his hair. He knelt, picking it up. It was weird how light his head felt without the weight of his thick hair, and one hand reached back to play with the loose strands. Kagome went to him.  
  
"Are you alright?" she asked softly, and he shrugged. "Fine. I'm not hurt or anything. What about you?"  
  
Kagome looked down, shaking her head. "I wasn't hurt."  
  
"That's not what I meant." She looked up at him in surprise and the boy blushed slightly, looking away. "That Katsuseki bastard was just trying to hurt you. So.. don't let it get to you, okay?"  
  
Kagome smiled and nodded. "Thank you."  
  
~*~  
  
Katsuseki cursed as he discarded his ruined armor. It had been his favorite set, and now he would have to hunt down some unsuspecting samurai and beat him out of his. And still it probably couldn't match the style of that particular armor.  
  
*Damn inuhanyou,* he thought to himself, *If we didn't need him so goddamned bad I would have killed him.*  
  
*Now now,* said the voice from before, *Do be nice. Inuki is a virgin at this. When we teach him in the art of pain, it must be slow and painful so that he will learn correctly.*  
  
Katsuseki's face softened. "Sada… you are right."  
  
He descended the stone steps to the lower levels of the castle they had taken over, passing through a large barrier. The bottom level was a plain room, empty of all things except in the middle. The middle was a raised section, rather large, surrounded by bamboo rolls. The room was dim due to the few lights. Katsuseki moved aside a roll and stepped inside, walking across the raised tatami to the girl who sat in the middle. He knelt in front of her.  
  
She was small, perhaps 8 or 9 years old, and she looked up at him with blank cream-colored eyes. She was plainly dressed, her pale orange hair sticking out in wild directions. One hand reached up to touch his face, wavering as though blind. Katsuseki took the hand and settled it gently on his cheek.  
  
*I missed you,* she told him silently, and he nodded. "I know you did. I'm sorry I was gone so long, Sadako."  
  
She smiled at him, her mouth widening enough to see that she had a mouth full of pointed canine teeth… and no tongue.  
  
~*~  
  
"I'm sorry, Kagome-sama," Miroku began, looking at the floor. "We had hoped to mention this later… or maybe not at all…" At his side, Sango raised her eyes to look at Kagome's face. The young woman was sitting in a heap at Inuki's side, knees drawn up and her arms hugging them.   
  
She looked prepared for the worst, even though there was nothing Miroku, Sango or Kaede could say that would lessen the horrible images of Inuyasha that Katsuseki's words had conjured up. When Miroku began to speak, Kagome's face angered slightly. "I have a right to know! You can't keep that sort of information from me!"  
  
Sango softened. "Kagome-chan, we had hoped he wouldn't come back… Which is why we weren't going to tell you at all… We thought it best not to disturb things if he had no intention of returning, but he did."  
  
Miroku nodded. "It was no more than 2 weeks ago when Katsuseki defiled Inuyasha's gravesite. We came upon him as he was going through it."  
  
"We had gone to pay our respects, as we always do. The ground was badly stirred and his body moved. Katsuseki had taken nothing from the grave or from his body itself, but it had most definitely been rummaged through. And he was standing there just looking at us."  
  
"He did not tell us what it was he searched for; he simply told us he would return," Miroku concluded. At Kagome's side, Inuki cursed under his breath. "And now it seems he was looking for Tessaiga."  
  
"The question now is, for what purpose does a human need Inuyasha's demon blade?" Kaede pondered. Miroku nodded. "Tessaiga does not react without youki. Tessaiga would be a worthless blade to Katsuseki."  
  
"No."  
  
At that, all of them looked at Inuki. The hanyou shook his head again. "That Katsu bastard has youki. It came in shifts. While I was fighting him, he… did something. And I felt youki come from him."  
  
"A human with youki?" Sango repeated incredulously. Miroku shook his head. "It's not so far-fetched. Bankotsu had youki because of the defiled Shikon shards he had stuck in his blade, Banryuu. But Katsuseki can't have the jewel…"  
  
"That's right. We gathered the shards and Kagome-chan took it home after…" Sango stopped suddenly. Inuki frowned. "What? After what?"  
  
"The Shikon no Tama doesn't work anymore," Kagome told him blankly, "When Inuyasha was dying I tried to use it to save him. Something came out of the jewel and went into him, and ever since the Shikon no Tama has been nothing more than a little glass ball. There's no aura, no glow, nothing."  
  
"Oh…" Inuki mouthed, looking down. Then he looked up. "Well I dunno. What I do know is that he's not just any ordinary human. But he is human. There's something else that we haven't seen yet."  
  
"I think you're right," Miroku agreed. Inuki nodded. As he did he noticed Kagome leaning against him, eyes sad. He leaned back, forcing her to sit up and look at him. "Do you want to go home?" he asked softly and she nodded.  
  
The hanyou stood and helped Kagome to her feet, then looked at the others. "We'll be back soon. We've gotta get this dealt with, soon."  
  
"Right. You two take care." Miroku gave a little wave as he watched them depart. Once the pair had made their way out of the hut, Sango looked down. "Damn that Katsuseki. Drudging up all this mess."   
  
"I don't know," Miroku said thoughtfully, and Sango looked up at him in surprise. "You 'don't know?' What's not to know?"  
  
"Perhaps it's better like this… If Kagome-sama gets closure about Inuyasha's death… she can move on." Miroku looked up at his wife. "The way Inuyasha never was able to."  
  
~*~ To be continued ~*~  
  
a/n :: Omg, plot! I thought I saw a hint of one earlier in the story, but yep that's a plot. I bet my life on it. ^-^ I love Sadako, she's one of the better villains Ive created. And yeah that's the name of the little girl in the original Japanese "Ring." And while my Sada is a little girl just like the original Sada-- they're nothing alike. (I hope; the Japanese Ring didn't make any sense to me…)  
  
Anyway, when I was drawing my Sada, and trying to name her, for the life of me I couldn't think of anything that fit, until I came across that name. Instantly it clicked and I had to name her that. I may be able to have some art of her up on deviant soon if you guys wanna see~  
  
Please review~ okie, ja~!  
  
~*~ V^-^V ~*~   
  
~Tessen 


	17. Chapter 16 Reflect

Sorry for the lateness of the chapter, been busy with a horrible illness; it's called Real Life, maybe you've heard of it. ;p This chapter isn't much, just a reflection/set-up sorta thing. After all the action in the last couple of chapters I had to relax and let it smooth out a little.  
  
Disclaimer:: Hold on, hold on, Im sure I have the legal documents around here… ::rummages through her desk drawers:: …somewhere…  
  
____________________________  
  
Inuki  
  
Chapter Sixteen :: Reflect  
  
Ms. Higurashi ran a comb through the tangled mess again, lining up the end with her fingers before snip-snipping with the small scissors in her right hand. Inuki sat impatiently in front of her, lips pursed. When Katsuseki had hacked off his braid, he'd left Inuki's hair in an uneven mess. Luckily Kinoko was quite handy with hair, and had taken on the task with her usual smile.  
  
"All finished," she told him, and he looked up into the mirror. His hair now went a little past his ears, straight and even, except for the tails by his ears, which still hung several inches past his shoulders, as Katsuseki had not even touched them.  
  
"Thanks, Ms Higurashi." He gave her a quick nod of his head, smiling, and stood, heading into the shower to rid himself of the itchy strands of cut hair that clung to his shoulders and that had fallen down his back.  
  
As he sat in the tub, claws tapping rhythmically against the ceramic, he stared up at the tiles blankly. The memories of today's events was like a Mobius strip in his head, a deafening din that ran back and forth on an endless track. The hot water that soothed his tired muscles and aching ribs did little to the same effect for his mind.  
  
He'd never before been able to do that. The jumping, the fighting; all of that had been held back considerably in this era. The feeling of power, the feeling of flying had awed him and frightened him at the same time.   
  
All these years, he'd had this ability, and he'd never been able to use it? He felt mildly cheated, and very deprived. He wondered if Takeru, show-off that HE was, had ever allowed himself that pleasure, of running through the park at night, or perhaps climbing up through Tokyo Tower like some sort of magical being from an anime. You didn't need the Sengoku-jidai to act on those feelings of power; just 333 meters of steel.  
  
He promised himself he would try that out sometime.  
  
His thoughts drifted ever so gradually to Kagome, and after a moment he shook his head and forced himself to think of something else, because thinking of her confused him. What was she to him? A girl he went to school with; the girl whose house he had borrowed. A friend he loved to hang out with, the girl whom he had sworn to protect. The object of his affections.  
  
Inuki looked down, eyes narrowing as his cheeks flushed. Abruptly the tapping and clicking of his claws had stopped. Did he really like her? Probably. She was very attractive, smart, kind-hearted and considerate. She was unique, and it was very possible and even more probable that he did. The question, then, was: was it really HIM who liked her? Or was it Inuyasha, buried deep somewhere in him who still longed for her.  
  
He didn't know. He didn't know and he hated it. He hated it the way a man hates something he can't change. It's there, and you know it's there, and you want it gone, but you can't do anything about it.  
  
He got up, toweling himself off and dressing quickly, turning the corner out of the bathroom and stomping up the stairs to the room he shared with Souta. He shut the door behind him and flung himself face-forward onto the bed and didn't move.  
  
Souta was sitting on the top bunk where he usually slept, doing what looked to be homework. He quietly watched Inuki stomp around the room in his melancholy, and when the older boy had settled onto the bed, Souta peered over the side at him.  
  
He hadn't moved. He looked dead for all intents and purposes, Souta thought. The grade schooler pursed his lips. "Inuki-niichan?"  
  
"What?" came the through-the-pillow reply. Souta blinked. "You and Neechan had a fight?"  
  
"No."  
  
"Why're you acting weird then?" Inuki mumbled something then; it sounded like plain nonsense, gibberish to the boy's ears. Souta shrugged and settled himself back to his math.  
  
The bed squeaked as Inuki turned over on his side, folding his arm underneath his head as a makeshift pillow. His eye caught a glimpse of Tessaiga, leaned against the wall behind the half open door. He forced himself to look away from it, swearing softly under his breath.  
  
Another thing from Inuyasha he had inherited and never would be able to use freely. Was it possible to hate someone you had never met? To have nothing to your own name? Currently, the things he held dearest to him --Kagome and Tessaiga-- were not his own.  
  
His eyes narrowed as something, long forgotten, occurred to him. He did have one thing. One, single thing to his name. But he hadn't even thought of using it in years. After he had forsaken it, abandoned that talent, could he now create the same beauty that he once had, years ago? The beauty that had people stopping with awed gasps, that made them do double takes.  
  
He cursed silently and sat up again. It plagued his mind, both his troubles with the Sengoku-jidai and his forsaken love. But he knew that that same love was the only thing that would be able to clear his mind. Determined to regain it, he stormed out, snatching his wallet from the bureau as he went.   
  
Souta watched him leave quietly, keeping his concerned musings to himself. Inuki and Kagome would get through it; he knew they would. After all, she had always made it through with Inuyasha, and Inuki was nicer. He smiled faintly to himself.  
  
Downstairs, Inuki rummaged through the hall closet, tugging out the few cardboard boxes with the belongings he'd managed to collect from Takeru's before he ran away. On the bottom was a shoebox, stashed underneath the larger ones with his winter clothes and his parents' heirlooms.   
  
He tugged it out, looking inside to make sure nothing had spilled from it or been broken. He noticed some of the tubes were missing, and made a mental note to buy replacements while he was out.  
  
Ms Higurashi, hearing the noise, came out as he was restacking the boxes inside. Incredulously she looked at him. "Inuki-kun, what are you doing?"  
  
"Relieving stress," he replied shortly, shutting the closet door and standing in one motion. With inquisitive dark eyes he looked up at his guardian. "Ms Higurashi, is there anyplace I can go to not be disturbed? Somewhere no one here goes very often?"  
  
The older woman put her index finger to her lips in thought. After a moment she replied, "Well, the old shed. Its got a lot of boxes and things, but Kagome's father's workbench is still in the back. If you want to, you can use that."  
  
He smiled broadly at her. "Thanks. I have to go out, there are some supplies I need to buy, but I'll be back before six." Kinoko smiled at him. "Be careful."  
  
~*~  
  
The next morning was Tuesday, and Kagome awoke refreshed. Things seemed better this day than they had for a long while, and she knew it was because of the fact she had finally gone to see Miroku and Sango. She felt as if a huge weight was lifted off of her, and feeling as good as she did, she spiffed herself up, dressing unusually nicely.  
  
She wore light makeup, a little rouge and some eyeshadow to highlight the deep brown of her eyes, as well as a faint bubblegum pink touch to her lips. She curled her hair a little and pulled it back, allowing it to drape over her shoulders in heavy waves.  
  
Her outfit was a simple ensemble of cream and dark brown; a cream-colored blouse and brown vest, and a pleated skirt that went just past her knees in bare flounces. Satisfied with her appearance, she hooked her fingers into her shoes, took up her bag, and headed downstairs.  
  
Mama gasped in surprise, Jiichan stared, and Souta grinned widely, complimenting her as she came in. Mama smiled at her daughter as she set Kagome's breakfast before her. "You look very nice today, Kagome-chan."  
  
"Thank you," the teenager replied sweetly, before politely digging into her breakfast. As she munched into a piece of buttered toast, she noticed offhandedly that a member of their household was absent. The fact that he would miss eating wasn't the problem; Inuki often did not eat breakfast. But he was always up at the break of dawn, and he would have his typical glass of hot tea, chatting with the family before he and Kagome headed off to school.  
  
She pursed her lips, feeling a little hurt. She wondered if maybe he was avoiding her. After all, she had left his side the day before, wanting to just be away from him. Twice yesterday, he had protected her, thrown himself between her and danger. Both times he came out the victor, but banged up nonetheless.  
  
The moment they had returned home, she had gone to her room to think. She had not come down for dinner that evening. Around 9 she had bathed and then gone to bed. She wasn't even sure how he was doing, if he had been more seriously injured or if he was worried.   
  
"Mama, where's Yashagawa-kun?" she wondered and Mama smiled knowingly at her daughter before turning back to the dishes. "Inuki-kun went to bed very late last night, and so he will not be going to school today."  
  
Kagome frowned, setting down her toast. They had already missed a day, and he intended to miss today as well? Maybe it was just her experience before, but missing school seemed like blasphemy to her now.  
  
Without another word, the girl stomped back up the stairs towards the boys' room. It was dim with early light, the dark curtains drawn over the offending sun. A box fan roared from its place across the room, blowing cold air over Inuki's lithe form, curled up underneath a soft chenille blanket.  
  
Kagome knelt at the side of the bed, giving his shoulder a gentle shove. "Yashagawa-kun." Emitting a moan that sounded almost insulted, he shifted, and the blanket came away to reveal his sleeping face. Kagome blushed slightly at his expression.   
  
He looked like a little boy, dark lashes laying gently on his cheeks, a strand of dark hair caught at his mouth, turned in a frown. That tuft of hair was far too enticing for her to back down from; gently she reached out and pulled it from his mouth.  
  
Her fingertips brushed across his lips, and they parted slightly as he drew breath. Her heart pounded loudly, a triphammer against her chest. No matter how hard she pleaded in her mind, her eyes would not leave his face, his lips.   
  
All she could think of was how glad she was that he was here. That he had battled Katsuseki, defended her and Inuyasha's honor. That she had abandoned him when it was over. She hadn't worried about how everything had affected him.   
  
She should have known better, as a reincarnation herself. She knew what it had felt like to feel second best, to feel like she was a replacement. And she knew that Inuki was surely feeling the same.  
  
Inuki, who had been her distraction from the pain, who had been her shoulder to cry on, who had sworn to protect her, who had followed her to the Sengoku-jidai despite his own misgivings. Inuki, who was her friend.  
  
She found herself leaning forward unconsciously, as if drawn to him. His skin was hot from being buried underneath the blanket, pressure lines on his arms where he'd been lying on his limbs. He smelled distinctly of oil paint, and she noticed flecks of green and blue on his shirt and bare arms. Lips inches from each other, his breath warm against her face, heart pounding--  
  
--and his dark eyes slid open. "Higurashi…?"  
  
Kagome pulled away quickly, knowing her face to be red; she felt its heat. The boy either didn't notice or didn't care about their previous proximity; he did not comment on it. Instead he rolled over and curled up underneath his blanket again. "Didn't your mom tell you, I'm not going to school today…"  
  
She opened her mouth to say something, then shut it again. She smiled faintly at him, pulling up the blanket over his shoulder. "I just came to say sleep well, and I'll bring home your assignments."  
  
He blinked, staring up at her with a sleepy gaze full of a meaning that she did not understand. "Thanks…" he finally mumbled. She nodded at him and stood, going to the door. From behind her, he spoke again, "Higurashi?" She turned to him, and he smiled broadly.  
  
"You look nice."  
  
Kagome looked a little surprised at first, but then she nodded her thanks, her smile clear and true, unforced. "Thank you." She stepped out, shutting the door quietly behind her. As she walked down the stairs she thought about Inuki, about what had almost happened. She wondered if he had even noticed, and if he had, why he hadn't called her on it.  
  
As she thought about it, she was struck with a sudden epiphany, and she slowed to a stop. For that one moment, kneeling at his side, entranced by his sleeping face and the distinct smell of paint, she had not once compared him to Inuyasha.  
  
He had only been Inuki to her.  
  
She allowed a wide smile to show and happily she took the rest of the steps down, darting back into the kitchen where her family was finishing up breakfast. "I gotta go," she told them, grabbing her bag. Hastily she hugged Jiichan and Mama, flashing them cheerful grins as she headed outside.  
  
Jiichan lifted one bushy eyebrow in confusion. "She's certainly in a better mood. I wonder what's gotten her in such fine spirits?"  
  
Mama smiled.  
  
~*~ To be continued ~*~  
  
a/n :: I'm sorry Im late. Apologies are starting to become more and more frequent and yet I keep doing what I'm apologizing for. I can't say how hard writing has been for me in the past few months, but I AM sorry for all those of you whom Ive left hanging on. Thanks for continuing to read, and I'll try to get chapter 17 out faster than this one. ::repeated bowing:: ^^;;;  
  
~*~ V^-^V ~*~   
  
~Tessen 


	18. Chapter 17 The Proposition

Disclaimer:: ::still looking for her papers:: They're here, I swear!  
  
____________________________  
  
Inuki  
  
Chapter Seventeen :: The Proposition  
  
"Ok? Let's do it."  
  
Inuki leaned in closer to Kagome, his face close. His dark eyes glittered seductively. The girl's face flushed slightly as she sneaked discreet glances around at the other students to see if any were watching. Everyone else was bent over their desks, not paying any attention to the tall dark-haired student who had leaned over the aisle between their desks, his voice a husky, alluring whisper.   
  
Regardless, she shook her head, mouth tightly pursed. Her eyes beheld the innocence of a virgin in this particular situation, but her voice held firmly. "No, Yashagawa-kun." His mouth broadened into a stiff line, eyebrows knitting in frustration. "Oh c'mon," he whispered, "it's not like anyone's gonna know! Don't be so uptight!"  
  
Kagome shook her head again, leaning away from him. "We can't do this, it's wrong!" Inuki snorted quietly, deftly reaching out with his right hand and snatching hers. "Who cares, just--" Kagome tugged away, in an effort to rescue herself, and Inuki gave it another yank, "--show me the answers!~!"  
  
RRRRRIIIIIP!  
  
All of their fellow students looked up at the sudden noise upsetting their quiet environment. At the chalkboard, Kenko --aka the Overenergetic Harpy/Math Teacher-- narrowed his ever-smiling eyes in the general direction of the back of the classroom. Behind him, written in bold, chalky white letters were the words, "QUIET! TEST IN PROGRESS."  
  
And in the back, by the window, Kagome's mouth dropped open in a mortified gawp at the one-half of her test paper in her hand. Inuki barely managed to stammer out an "Uh," of dismay, eyes wide at the second-half of the paper clenched and crumpled in his hand. He looked from the half he held, to the half she held, and then at Kagome. The girl was seething, her eyes full of an embarrassed anger he'd yet to see her possess. He sagged in defeat, his face deadpan.  
  
*After class I'm gonna die…*  
  
~*~  
  
After the attack in the Sengoku-jidai, after what they'd learned and gone through, it had taken a couple of baby steps for life to regain the simple normalcy that Kagome and Inuki were used to. But by the end of the week, things had fallen back into their usual flow.   
  
By Friday, Inuki was complaining about Kagome's rotten cooking, lazing about the house playing video games, and trying to cram for the big math test . By Friday, Kagome was yelling at him for being insensitive, winging flower pots and other random objects his way for being a lay-about, and trying to tutor him for said math test.  
  
It was normal again.  
  
Except that there was an unspoken connection between the two of them now, that they understood each other. Inuki now realized the trauma Kagome had been put through, and she remembered the feelings and thoughts of a reincarnation labeled second.  
  
But that didn't stop her from winging more random objects when he arrived home Friday evening, far later than her because of the subsequent detention he'd been given because of trying to copy her test.  
  
"Oi!" he yelled, ducking behind a bookcase by the stairs, "We have shit to do, we don't have time for you to be mad at me!!!" Ignoring his shouts, Kagome flung her alarm clock at him from her perch atop the stairs, followed quickly by a teddy bear "You jerk!!! I got a ZERO!! Kenko-sensei won't even let me make that test up!!!! It's your fault!!"  
  
"My fault?! If you'd just quit being so damned stubborn and given me the freaking test paper, it wouldn't have ripped!!" he roared back up at her, slipping to the side in time to let her trash can, full of balled-up pieces of paper, come crashing into the floor a hair shy of his dark little head.  
  
"You think after spending this entire past week staying up into the wee hours of the morning trying to cram that empty head of yours with geometry I'm gonna let you cheat!?!! YOU'RE NUTS!" she screamed down at him over the railing, and Inuki glowered at her. "I suck at math!! It's not my damned fault if I can't grasp that bullshit! How the hell am I supposed to get by in class if you won't help me!!"  
  
Kagome shot him a poisonous glare that sent chills down his spine, and she spun on her heel, stomping back into her bedroom. When she came back, the seven hundred and fifty page math book they used in class was in her arms, and the flung it down at him with all her might. "TRY STUDYING!!"  
  
The book landed heavily on his foot, and the boy bellowed a curse that made all his former utterances seem like a child's sing-along. At this point, Jiichan came out of the den where he was watching the news. Up until this point, the rest of the family had just been ignoring the scuffle, but now the older man stomped out, looking slightly miffed.  
  
"Now look here, the both of you!" he began, waiting until both teenagers turned his way before continuing, "Leave what happens at school there! I'll not have the both of you disturbing the peace of this household with your ruckus!! Forgive each other and get over it!"  
  
Kagome crossed her arms defiantly, looking away, and Inuki muttered something under his breath. Finally he waved a hand in her direction. "Whatever." Kagome snorted at his dismissal and looked at her grandfather. "Sorry, Jiichan, it won't happen again."  
  
The old nodded once and turned back into the den, sliding the doors shut. Kagome turned to come down the stairs, slipping past Inuki coldly to retrieve the items she'd thrown at him. He, meanwhile, headed up the stairs towards his room. A few moments later, her things at her hip, Kagome was making her way back up the stairs, while Inuki was coming back down them, Tessaiga and his stuffed backpack on his shoulder.  
  
Having cooled off a smidgen, Kagome looked at him in surprise. "Where are you going?" She was still angry with him, but not enough to not worry about him if he was just going to leave. Especially since he had the reputation of running away; after all, that's how he had ended up on their doorstep anyway.  
  
He raised an eyebrow, slightly confused. "Didn't you want to spend the weekend with Miroku and Sango? I'll be downstairs waiting for you."  
  
Kagome watched him head to the kitchen, feeling mildly despondent. He was the one at fault, yet he had the odd ability of making her feel guilty about not cheating. Maybe it was the fact that math wasn't exactly his strong point, and she felt bad for him.  
  
She went back upstairs, deciding to drop it. It was stupid fighting over cheating or not cheating on a dumb test. She changed clothes and took the straps of her old knapsack. She had stopped using it for awhile, but now it was stuffed with three days worth of clothes, not to mention her homework and her toiletries.  
  
Kagome had also packed Inuyasha's coat, knowing it would be useful if a youkai situation arose. The Shikon no Tama she brought also, regardless of the fact the jewel had not lit with magic in over 6 months. She felt better having it on her, out of habit.  
  
*It feels like old times again…* she told herself, glancing at the picture of Inuyasha and their friends, which she now kept propped on her desk. It was odd to her, how a mere month ago she could barely stand to look at it without crying, but now she was able to smile at it, if not vaguely bittersweet.  
  
"That must be his power over me," she said softly, smiling. She turned the photo up a bit, gazing down at Inuyasha's face. "See you later…"  
  
~*~  
  
The sun had just set in the Sengoku-jidai, and the skies were a deep navy, tinged with a light purple. Clouds still feathered with gold from the departing sun dotted the heavens. In the trees and burrows in the forest around them, little animals snuggled in for sleep, while others roused for their nightly activities. In front of Kagome, Inuki tromped through the grass, clearing a path for her. It seemed almost gentlemanly of him, but she guessed things like chivalry probably didn't cross his mind at all.  
  
In the village, everyone was beginning to settle down. Dinner was being made, beds were unraveled as yet another day of hard work wound down. A farmer dragging a stubborn goat back to its lean-to waved to the pair as they made their way down the dirt road.  
  
Crossing the bridge from the village towards the shrine, Kagome noticed Sango waiting cheerfully by the door of Kaede's hut. She jogged past Inuki towards her friend. "Sango-chan!!"  
  
"Welcome back," the taijiya greeted her, smiling at Inuki also. The boy grinned back as the younger woman held the roll door aside to let them through. Inside, by the floor hearth Kaede was stoking the flames. Miroku sat across from her, eating Kaede's stew. The old woman smiled pleasantly in greeting. "Welcome back, the both of you. Have you eaten?"   
  
Kagome, setting her possessions at the door, shook her head. Kaede smiled and filled two bowls, presenting them to the younger people as they sat. They passed the time by chatting about some of the things that had happened in the past week; Kagome and Inuki about the studies in their world, Miroku and Sango about the training of the new taijiya.  
  
"I'm especially pleased with Mitaka and Sakuya," Sango told Kagome, "Mitaka is doing a little better than Sakuya, but both are becoming very skilled."  
  
"It's good that they are, too, because they will have to take on this next job." Miroku added, and Kagome looked up at him in confusion. "Next job?"  
  
At this, Sango nodded, shifting a little to get more comfortable. "In the next village over, a half-day's walk from here, there's been some disruptances from a youkai. I was asked to exterminate it--" Before she could say more, Miroku interrupted with, "And I asked her not to."  
  
"Because of the baby?" Inuki guessed, and Miroku nodded in accord. "She helped fight off that mukade the night you returned, Kagome-sama, but that was simply because we were so shorthanded." Kagome nodded, smiling. "I agree, Sango-chan and the baby need to be protected."  
  
"Besides," his wife added sternly, "it will be good training for them. They are the best of my students, but they have never had a mission. It's time they did." Kagome giggled slightly, nudging Sango slightly. "You sound like a mother already."  
  
"I'll go with them."   
  
Abruptly, Kagome and the others turned their gazes to Inuki, surprised. The teenager leaned back against the wall, propping his arm on his knee. His playful grin belied the seriousness of his statement. "I might as well; I need the practice too."  
  
Kagome narrowed her eyes. "No way."  
  
"Why not!?" the boy demanded.   
  
Kagome turned a fierce stare on him. He leaned back slightly, wincing at her grimace. She could be frightening when angered, after all. The girl simply shook her head. "There's no reason for you to! It's not like when I was here a year ago, they needed me to stay because of the Jewel. But you--"  
  
"What is Katsuseki comes back? You want to just let him do however he pleases?" Inuki interjected, and Kagome shut her mouth. He looked at her intently, his eyes intense though his expression mellow. "I can't protect Tessaiga, or you, if I don't know what I'm doing. I need to build up my strength."  
  
"He has a point, Kagome," Kaede concurred, "Right now Inuki has only begun to tap into his dormant youkai powers. The same as you were a year ago." Hearing the old woman say this, Kagome's face lightened, as if she had forgotten that she too had once been inexperienced. Kaede noticed this but continued. "It would be best with he went along with Mitaka and Sakuya for the experience. Actually…"  
  
"Actually…?"  
  
The miko's eye turned to her, bright with what she knew was a clever idea. "You should go also." Kagome made a "uh" noise, irked. "Me..?" She shook her head, shoulders sagging. "I haven't used a bow… in over half a year. I wouldn't be any good."  
  
"It didn't look that way last time," Miroku said with a grin. Sango nodded, her face also broadened into a cheerful, reassuring smile. "Yes, if you hadn't come when you did to take care of that mukade, the damage to the village would have been much worse."  
  
Kagome looked up, a little embarrassed. "I hardly think.."  
  
"Come with me."  
  
She turned her head, looking at Inuki. The boy flushed slightly, looking away. "I could use the help anyway." Kagome sensed, slightly happily, that there was more to his words than there seemed, and she nodded then. "Okay. Let's go together."  
  
~*~  
  
"This is Mitaka, and this is Sakuya."  
  
Inuki and Kagome narrowed the eyes at the pair. Sango looked extremely proud, the way a mother is of her children who are finally growing up. Almost like they were her own children. Despite that, Kagome couldn't help but wonder if Sango knew what she was doing, giving these two off on her.  
  
Mitaka was about eleven, short and spunky. Her long black hair was pulled up into two pigtails on either side of her head, and she had huge brown eyes that seemed a little too large for her small face. Freckles dotted her button nose.  
  
The armor she wore was in the same style as Sango's, except made for a child. It still seemed a little big for her, as she was rather small anyway. But her face was determined, and on her back she wore twin blades. They weren't as long as a katana, but neither were they very small. Kodachi, Kagome realized.   
  
Sakuya was taller, his dark hair pulled up in the ponytail common in boys and teens in the era. He was still a boy, perhaps 13 or 14, but already was almost Inuki's height. He had dark eyes possessing an attitude all their own, as if he were fed up with the world.   
  
He too wore the taijiya uniform, and proudly. You didn't have to look at him twice to realize this boy took pride in what he did. And he held, the handle resting on his shoulder, a zanbatou. It was simple and plain, no intracacies or elaborate ornaments on the hilt. The blade itself was as tall as Sakuya himself, the hilt a few feet's addition to it, and a good three feet wide. There was a plain cloth sheathe over it.   
  
"They're just brats," Inuki muttered. Before Sango could say anything, Sakuya's eyes narrowed. "What the hell did you say?!!"  
  
"They're young yes, but it's customary for taijiya to take their first missions shortly into adolescence," Sango explained. "These two are my best students and learn the quickest. They won't let you down."  
  
Hearing Sango's praise, Mitaka's freckled cheeks flushed and Sakuya shut his mouth. "Sensei.." She smiled at them. "I want you two to do your very best. Remember what you were taught and be quick about it. And be polite to Kagome-chan and Inuki. They're two of my dear friends."  
  
"Hai," both students agreed, and Kagome smiled at them. "Well then, let's go?"  
  
The four of them turned into the morning light onto the road to Midorikawa Village. Sango and Miroku watched them go, and Sango reached up, clasping his hand. "This'll be good for her, ne?"  
  
"Yes," her husband replied, "I'm sure that the journey will be hard, reminding of her how it used to be, but… in the end, it'll be easier."  
  
Easier to remember Inuyasha without heartache.  
  
~*~ To be continued ~*~  
  
a/n :: A better idea of a what the zanbatou is would be Bankotsu's Banryuu, or Sanosuke's blade (from Rurouni Kenshin.) Sorry for the shortness of this chapter. 2bwu has a super long chapter, and it took a lot out of me. ::passes out onto floor:: Anyway, yay!! Inuki's adventure begins!!! ::so so happy:: I LOVE Mitaka and Sakuya (especially Sakuya, he's just freaking cute.) I may be able to have pictures of them up soon, and chapter 18 will be out shortly! Please review~! v^^-  
  
~*~ V^-^V ~*~   
  
~Tessen 


	19. Chapter 18 Kuromiboujin

This bites. Because of FF.net's new whatever-it-is, all my scene breaks (the asterisks) and thought signals, all that, is no longer being shown in my document manager. And I cannot figure out freaking html. Grr! So for this chapter (and all further chapters until I can figure out html) a single apostrophe is thought, kay? 

Disclaimer:: Damn, I lost my legal papers!!! 

Inuki  
  
Chapter Eighteen :: Kuromiboujin  
  
It was shortly after one pm when the group of teenagers finally made it to the village of Midorikawa. It was nestled between two pieces of land that could either be considered large foothills or small mountains, the south end of the village blocked off by high cliffs, and the north was left open-ended, with only two paths leading out: one into the forest and the other onto the main highway.   
  
The village itself was of a fairly nice size. Nine or ten little huts dotted the terraced hills, smoke rising from their cylindrical chimneys. There was a single large stable at the north end of the village, and Kagome assumed the townsfolk simply stalled their horses together.   
  
But something was amiss, and Kagome knew it instantly, having spent most of her 3rd junior high year in the Sengoku-jidai. The flooded rice paddies were empty, there was no one working the fields. Children's playful activity was nonexistent, and other than the smoke and occasional whinnies from the horses, the village was nothing short of a ghost town.   
  
"Pretty dead around here," Inuki said, looking down at the village from his place at Kagome's side, and immediately she smacked his shoulder. "Yashagawa-kun! Don't say things like that, its bad luck!"  
  
He looked slightly offended. "Jeez, sorry."  
  
Mitaka and Sakuya headed down the pathway first, taking the lead as the two trained taijiya in the group, whether their experience matched Kagome's or not. The miko also stopped Inuki from saying anything about it; after all it was technically the kids' mission. The two older teenagers had only come as guidance.  
  
'Rather, I did,' Kagome added mentally, 'Yashagawa-kun is as inexperienced as the kids.' As they made their way into the village from the main highway, Kagome examined the roads and houses for signs of life. She noticed children peeking out of windows, ladies pulling back their roll doors to investigate the strangely-dressed foreigners.  
  
But in some of the houses, even the men stayed back, frightened, angry glares on their faces. Her eyes narrowed as she studied their faces, and her hand tightened on her quiver strap. As they walked towards town center, she leaned over, tugging at Inuki's hair to pull him closer to her. She whispered in his ear, "Did you see them? They're scared to death. That's why no one's out here. They're terrified."  
  
Deftly tugging the short tail from her hand, he met her eyes. "I don't have to see them," he replied, and she glanced up at him. The boy tapped his nose. "I can smell it. " Kagome blinked at that, realizing how all too easy it was to forget he was half-demon. At least Inuyasha's youkai heritage had been evident. His hair and eyes were an unnatural , he had sharp fangs and long claws. Not to mention his transformed ears. He even had a feral beast-boy aura about him, the feel that he had lived in the wild his entire life.  
  
Inuki was different though. His dark hair was soft and well taken care of, whereas Inuyasha's silver locks had been a tangled, coarse mess most of the time. He had human teeth and nails except on his youkai night, when they brought themselves forward against his will. (he still had yet to cut them from the previous full moon night; he was learning to utilize his natural weapons.)   
  
But even on his night of transformation did his ears stay human. Even his aura was softer than Inuyasha's, the way a city boy's compares to a country lad's. And yet despite that, for all intents and purposes he was a hanyou. His physical strength and speed were not as great as Inuyasha's, but he certainly wasn't a weak human.  
  
At the center of the village was a girl neither Kagome nor the others had noticed on their way down. She was beautiful beyond words, with very long silky black hair and coal-ed eyes. She sat underneath the tolling bell, her hands folded over her printed aqua-kimono.  
  
Beside her was another of the villagers who had managed to gather enough guts to step past his doorstep. He was middle-aged, his salt and pepper hair pulled back in the usual topknot. But unlike most men of the era, he was sturdily built and a little taller than Inuki; and that was saying a lot since the teen was almost 6 feet tall.  
  
"What can I do for you folk?" he asked in a friendly but cautious voice, "It's dangerous 'round these parts, you may not wanna stay for long."  
  
"Sir," Mitaka began, drawing his attention down to her, "We're taijiya from the shrine village. We've been asked to exterminate the youkai harassing you."  
  
"Oh!" he gasped, looking surprised, and Kagome recognized the expression of relief on his face; it nagged slightly at her that the girl remained blank. Abruptly he turned to the houses beyond the pathways. "Everyone! It is alright!!" He turned back to them, and as the other villagers drew from their homes like small, furry creatures hiding from predators, the man smiled.  
  
Kagome had seen that smile many times in the past when the gumi would come upon terrified villages, and tell them they were there to help. It was a good feeling, she knew, to feel like you were cared about. She met eyes with the girl. "Midorikawa villages thanks you," she told Kagome in a soft voice, and the man nodded vigorously in agreement.  
  
"Yes, of course, thank you Kumo-chan." He nodded his head to the group. "We apologize for the earlier disrespect of not greeting you. Suspicious people are feared here nowadays. That aside…" he bowed very far down, a sign of respect. "Midorikawa village thanks you deeply for your aid." Then he straightened. "My name is Makoto. I'm the head of the village. This is Kumo, my daughter-in-law. Please, come to my house. I will tell you what I know of this demon."   
  
For a farmer in a poor village, Makoto's home was actually fairly large and well-furnished. There were not many things of useless wealth, like many of the daimyo in the area, but everything in the house practical and sturdy, not to mention the added bonus of beautifully crafted and comfortable. And the man took a great pride in having them seated and nourished, which told the group he'd made most if not all of it with his own two hands.   
  
In the house was a woman slightly smaller than Makoto, but just as sturdy and well-built. She also had the same hair. Makoto introduced her as his wife, Hoshi. The woman was only delighted to greet their guests, and she offered them hot stew while Makoto briefed them on the situation. The beautiful girl, Kumo, had gone to her home with Makoto's son and her husband, Masaki.  
  
Mitaka and Sakuya sat across from the village leader, listening patiently and preparing to rack the knowledge Sango had taught them of demon families and kinds. Kagome sat adjacent to them, ready to help the kids if they needed it, and Inuki sat in his traditional corner, Inuyasha's old habit of straying from the group taking effect on his reincarnation as well.  
  
"It started about three months ago," the villager leader began, "In a village a few miles away, there were several mysterious murders. All the bodies were found in the woods, with two distinguishing fang marks on a part of their body, the actual bite pale white surrounded by a red welt. And all of them were found with their innards liquefied and sucked dry."  
  
Despite trying to remain as professional and detached as possible, both taijiya students paled with disgust, and Kagome closed her eyes, biting back a bitter taste in the back of her throat. Makoto looked grave as he continued, "Everyone in that village has now either died or fled. And now the people of this village are being targeted."  
  
"The same circumstances?" Mitaka asked, and Makoto nodded. "Exactly the same. Even the men…" At this, Sakuya narrowed his dark eyes. "What about the men?"  
  
Makoto stirred the flames. "The youkai is said to be female, and very beautiful. She has killed both men and women, but the sheer numbers tell you she prefers male victims." A sudden lump in Inuki's throat made him wince; he swallowed thickly, preferring to gaze out the roll door at the few children in the street. "Hey, old man, this youkai wouldn't happen to be a spider demon, would it?"  
  
Makoto turned to him, his expression one of surprise. "You're correct. The Kuromiboujin." He smiled slightly. "I'm sure now, I have nothing to fear; you know your youkai."  
  
Inuki nodded blankly, hiding well his distaste. 'Figures,' he muttered, 'that my first one out would be a goddamned spider…'   
  
After the discussion, Makoto offered Mitaka and Kagome board at his own house, and Inuki and Sakuya would be allowed to stay with Masaki, Makoto's eldest son, who lived three houses down. The group got settled, preparing weapons and a strategy. Sakuya was anxious to get out and use his zanbatou, but as Mitaka suggested --and eventually Kagome piped in to agree with the girl-- they needed to scout the surrounding area before they made any moves.  
  
The only one who did not seem eager in any way conceivable was Inuki. His reply to any sort of question was "Keh, whatever," and he did not volunteer any information on his own. He only stood in the corner, hands tightening reflexively on Tessaiga's hilt.  
  
Deep in the dark north forest, the four of them split into pairs to cover more ground, and Mitaka and Sakuya happily bounded off. Kagome knew part of their enthusiasm was due to the fact they wanted to show off, and she allowed them their fair share. 'As long as they get the work done,' she amended.  
  
She put those thoughts aside for a moment to wonder about Inuki. He was quieter than usual, more wary. She had seen this behavior in Inuyasha; it was a step down from outright growling in apprehension. Her companion's eyes scanned the forest a smidge too nervously, and his stance was rigid. One hand leveled over Tessaiga as if to draw the instant he heard something he didn't like.  
  
"Yashaga-"  
  
"AAAAAAAAAAH! WHAT?! WHERE IS IT?! I'LL KILL IT!"  
  
His shout nearly floored her, and Kagome dropped her bow with a soft "Ah!" of shock. In the next instant she was up in his face. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!! Are you trying to scare me to death?!!"   
  
Inuki stared at her, panting slightly, and he winced when he realized he'd jumped the gun. "Hi.. Higurashi… Sorry…" Kagome raised an eyebrow at his odd reaction. Slowly something from her early journeys with Inuyasha filtered in from the back of her mind, and with a soft expression, she asked, "Are you afraid of spiders?"  
  
Almost instantaneously, the boy's eyes widened, his expression irked, as if caught with his hand in the cookie jar. With the back of his hand he wiped away a trickle of sweat from under his chin, turning towards the trees again. "You know, we could--"  
  
"Yashagawa-kun."  
  
"--maybe go this way and--"  
  
"Yashagawa-kun!" He spun on her. "Yes!! I'm afraid of spiders!! Are you happy?!" He made an irritated noise in the back of his throat, crossing his arms and leaning heavily against a nearby tree. "Ever since I was a kid, I've just hated the damn things. They give me bad vibes."  
  
Kagome watched him for a moment, not saying anything. It took little consideration for her to realize it was simply another thing from Inuyasha manifested in the boy. 'Spiders didn't scare Inuyasha, but… he did hate Naraku.. More than anything, that would explain it…'  
  
She reached over, resting her hand on his arm. "Do you wanna go back?" At this his eyes shot wide open, eyebrows knitting. "No! We have work to do!" Kagome was surprised at his offense, and instantly wondered what she'd done as he stomped off into the forest.  
  
But before she could follow and demand why he was angry with her for showing concern, she noticed something a shade of green flowing through the trees, too light to be a fluttering of leaves. "Yashagawa-kun," she half-whispered, and he turned. She waved a hand at him fiercely and he turned back, coming to her side quickly. "What?"  
  
"Look at that," she said, gesturing with a jerk of her head in the general direction of what she saw. It continued on, deeper into the murky forest, and Inuki narrowed his eyes. "Youkai?"  
  
"I don't know, let's go check it out."  
  
Together the two slipped through the woods, careful to keep quiet. The blotch of aqua-green continued on, finally coming to a small clearing underneath two oak trees and settling. Kagome and Inuki met eyes, the boy nodding to his companion before drawing Tessaiga and leaping out. Kagome followed in the same instant, her bow ready, fingers tensed against the shaft of the arrow.  
  
Kumo squealed in horror, ducking and throwing her hands over her head, the sleeves of her aqua-green kimono flying up over her thick black hair.  
  
Inuki made an odd "Elgh" noise as he stopped short, and Kagome gasped, releasing the tension in her bowstring and going over to the frightened girl. "Kumo-san!!! Oh my god, we're so sorry!!"  
  
"Uhm.. no, it's alright," she replied, still looking a little unnerved. Kagome slung her bow, kneeling next to her. "What are you doing out here?"  
  
Kumo smiled and looked up to the tall oak trees. Their shade allowed very little sunlight to filter in; the s of the plush green grass, littered with wildflowers and leaves, was muted underneath the trees. A cool breeze blew underneath, rustling the leaves. "I come here to think. It's very pleasant here."  
  
"Aren't you afraid of the youkai," Inuki wondered, and Kumo looked down. "I suppose I should be. She has been known to come out into the daytime, and she does eat young women, but…" She looked up at Inuki, her face calm. "If the Kuromiboujin does come after me, it is my time. I will accept it with dignity, not fear."  
  
"Kagome-sama! Inuki-sama!"  
  
The older teens turned. Mitaka was jogging up to them, a smile on her face. Kagome stood up. "What is it, Mitaka-chan?"  
  
The girl was practically shaking with excitement. "We found her hideout."   
  
The Kuromiboujin's lair was not very far from where they had found Kumo. Built partially into a small rock face and the ground itself was a large burrow. Thick webs, white and stringy, hung in veils over the thin opening, and began to spread thinner over an outward radius. Leaves and twigs were stuck in various places along the way, showing the great haste that was taken in creating it.  
  
Inuki didn't want to be there. Any other dark, miserable forest, next to any other hastily-made hideout of any other evil, innard-sucking youkai, and he would've been grateful for the experience. But he hated spiders.   
  
It was icky. That was the only word he could use to describe the feelings he had. He hated spiders, hated them, hated them. With a passion. And it wasn't as though he'd had some traumatic event as a little boy with a spider. He'd never been bitten by one, a spider the size of his hand hadn't landed on his head at any point in time.  
  
But for as long as he could remember, he'd just been disgusted with them. And it wasn't so much fear as the absolute hate and distaste of being in their presence. But still, as if he were terrified of them, he always got the jitters when spiders were mentioned; he was edgy and tense and he freaked out at the drop of a hat.  
  
'Like earlier,' he remembered bitterly. What a nice moment of manliness to go into his scrapbook of unforgettables. 'No wonder Kagome treats me like a baby, if I act like one…'   
  
Kagome. She wasn't exactly to best of her speed; attacking Kumo earlier had been proof of that. He wondered briefly if he had been Inuyasha, and this had been a year ago, if she would have leaped out at a civilian like that. 'No,' he decided quickly, before hoping too much got him off-track of what they'd come to do. 'No, she wouldn't have. It's probably me.'  
  
"Hey." He blinked as all thoughts washed away with her voice. Kagome was poking him in the shoulder, gazing up at him with a look that was an eyebrow twitch short of irritation. He winced inwardly at that look, but outwardly shrugged off her hand. "What?"  
  
"You weren't even listening!!!" she accused, and he knew he gave himself away by stammering out, "Y-yes I was!"  
  
Mitaka sighed. "You see the webs? They're most prominent over the entrance, but if you notice, the webs are really all over the place for about ten, twelve feet around the opening. There are less and less the further away you get." The girl narrowed her eyes grimly. "But there's only one place they don't thin out."  
  
"Which would be…" Inuki wondered, and Mitaka gestured down a pathway leading straight out in front of the lair entrance. It wasn't an actually dirt path like most of the other trails have been; just an area where the trees were knocked over or uprooted. It was a long pathway, as deep as they were in the forest, but at the end, they could all see light and signs of movement.  
  
"The village…" Kagome reiterated for him, as if he couldn't see himself, and he glared down at her, really disliking the way she was treating him. He yanked his arm away from her, but the miko didn't seem to notice. She looked back towards Mitaka with a proud smile. "Well done, Mitaka-chan. Where's Sakuya-kun?"  
  
Suddenly, the webs over the opening slid back. Kagome gasped, drawing an arrow, and Inuki tensed at her side, cracking his knuckles as a deep growl erupting from his throat. Sakuya stuck his head from the opening, eyeing the two older teenagers with incredulity. "Its just me," he told them, as if speaking to someone younger and stupider than himself, and Mitaka added belatedly, "He went to investigate the den."  
  
"You should have waited for us!" Kagome admonished, "It could have been dangerous, Sakuya-kun!" The boy looked up at her, eyes narrowed with impatience. "Waiting on you two we'll never get anything done. What with that one," he gestured at Inuki, "being afraid of spiders…"  
  
Inuki grit his teeth, standing over the brat. "What's that got to do with anything? I'm still here, you loudmouthed nuisance-- how the hell did you know, anyway?"  
  
"Oh, you think we couldn't hear you from all the way over here, screaming like some frightening woman," the boy said sarcastically, and Inuki grit his teeth, cracking his knuckles. "You wanna fight??"  
  
"If you're going to scream and cry, then no." This time Kagome had to restrain the older boy from jumping Sakuya; the taller taijiya rolled his eyes and twisted, pulling himself from the den as Mitaka plucked a few strands of spider web from his ponytail. "Anyway," he began, "The den's pretty deep. It's also not very big, so I'd guess her youkai form isn't much bigger than a hut."  
  
"Well, that's good then, right?" Kagome asked and Sakuya looked up at her. "No, usually a Kuromiboujin of that size would be damned easy to kill, since they actually get a lot bigger. But this'll still be pretty hard."  
  
Mitaka looked at her companion, her wide eyes confused. "Why?"  
  
"Cause she'll protecting her babies."  
  
At this everyone gawped, and Kagome winced, looking a little troubled. "You mean she has… little Kuromiboujins??" Sakuya nodded, standing finally and pulled his zanbatou up from the ground. As he set it to rest on his shoulder he gestured to the den. "I found a clutch down there. Not hatched yet. But they're ready to, any day now."  
  
"Shouldn't we get rid of it then?" Kagome asked, "Burn it or something?"  
  
"Are you nuts?"  
  
She looked at Inuki. The hanyou was scared, she knew, but hiding it well; he only looked very, very angry with her. He shook his head. "If we're gonna do anything about the nest we'll do it after we kill the Kuromiboujin."  
  
"He's right, even if fear is his reason," Sakuya interrupted, drawing a nasty glare from Inuki. Mitaka nodded, her ponytails bobbing as she tilted her head in agreement. "We really should wait. If we destroy the clutch now, it'll only make her mad and she'd be harder to kill."  
  
"Oh," mouthed Kagome, and then folded her arms. "So… how do we draw her out?" Sakuya shrugged. "The leader said she liked men. So we give her a man."   
  
Inuki crossed his arms, clawed fingers tapping against his sleeved arm as he watched Sakuya dress. "I thought you said a 'man,' not, 'brat posing as one,'" the hanyou spat, and the taijiya boy snorted as he tied his hakama. "Lemme know when you see one, you coward."  
  
"What the hell'd you say, you snot-nosed runt?!"  
  
"Enough already," Kagome ordered, sliding the shoji shut behind her as she entered. She looked at Sakuya, inspecting him a final time. They'd stripped him of his taijiya armor and dressed him in a borrowed set of Masaki's clothes, a basic burgundy yukata and navy hakama. Underneath he still wore his black suit, complete with his hidden weapon should he need it, but most of his equipment and armor, not to mention his zanbatou, would be left behind.  
  
The miko took a deep breath, not liking at all leaving a 14 year old as bait for a youkai who was so dangerous, but Sakuya hardly looked --or acted-- fourteen. He was as tall as Inuki, and with his hair down as he prepared to retie it, the two looked almost like brothers. "Are you ready, Sakuya-kun?"  
  
"Yeah," he told her, waving his arm in wide circles to stretch his shoulder. "As ready as I'll ever be."  
  
"Sakuya." Mitaka's soft voice was filled with a wavering concern for her partner, and he grinned at her, patting her on the head. "C'mon, Mi-chan, it's what we've always been wanting to do. Don't worry about me, I'll be okay." Her brief moment of hesitation passed and she bit her lip, nodding vehemently. "I'll be waiting for you. Lead her to the end of the village street so we can close her in."  
  
"Right." With a twitch of his already eager smirk, Sakuya shoved past Inuki and out the door. The other three followed him out.   
  
At the open end of the street leading to the forest was Sakuya's post. Halfway down the road, there were small ditches, filled with dried wood and leaves, and within the houses were the villagers, waiting with torches to light the lines. At the other end, blocked off by the mountain, were Masaki and Makoto's houses, where Mitaka, Kagome and Inuki waited.   
  
"This should be easy," Mitaka said, and Kagome nodded. Her heart was pounding; even though she had more experience, facing a youkai was still edgy business. She watched the small figure of Sakuya at the end of the street. Now, we just have to wait for her to get a whiff of his scent, and it'll start.  
  
She leaned forward against the blockade they'd raised, mixed feelings of impatience and anxiety running through her body. She glanced offhandedly at Inuki. Tessaiga was at his hip, and he leaned heavily on the blockade, slouching carelessly. He looked the same that he did any day, but she knew he must've been nervous. Especially being that his first demon was something he feared.  
  
And their earlier encounter was still on her mind. He'd seemed angry with her for even suggesting he hang back. Angry or.. offended. Her eyes widened slightly. Had she offended him maybe? Did that wound his pride, being asked if he was too scared to do a job? She knew she certainly wouldn't have asked Inuyasha that sort of question; she would never have dared.  
  
'Maybe that's the problem to begin with… He knows that..'   
  
'I wish it would just hurry its fat ass up,' Inuki thought to himself, pleased he could say so truthfully. He really did want it to just get here so he could kick the shit out of it. Fighting would give him a reason to channel his anger and blow off some steam, not to mention it would block his mind from the tension his body experienced whenever he was in the presence of an eight-legged hellrat.  
  
His eyes fell on Sakuya's form at the end of the street. 'Little runt,' he growled mentally, 'I'd rather kick the shit outta him. Overconfident weasel that he is…'  
  
"Yashagawa-kun?" He looked up from his mental debates and all negativity melted away from him at the sight of her smile. Rather, almost all of it, considering half the reason he was so mad was because of her. "Hang in there." It took little willpower for him to keep his face blank, and he turned away without smiled back at her. Some evil little part of him desperately hoped it had hurt her feelings when he didn't respond to her.   
  
Kagome's cheerful smile dropped into a frown when he didn't smile or nod back. Never having been one to keep quiet, she planted her hands on her hips, voice raising. "What is the matter with you?!" she demanded, starting to get mad. He turned to her, his eyes narrowed. He looked especially like Inuyasha right then, and it almost stopped her short.   
  
Almost. "You are being awfully selfish, pissing and moaning and being generally dislikable when all I am trying to do is comfort you!" He raised one eyebrow, looking both confused and ever more angrier by the second. "Selfish?! I'm being selfish?!"   
  
"Yes! And I don't care! If you want to be like that, it's fine by me. I hope you get squished on or something by that spider, you idiot!"  
  
She turned, still seething, and she missed the look of surprise and mild hurt on his face. But then he too turned, muttering under his breath about stupid women. Mitaka stood off to the side, watching them with wide eyes.  
  
Several minutes passed, and there was no Kuromiboujin. From Masaki's house, Kumo stepped out, coming to Kagome's side. Her eyes never left Sakuya's form at the end of the street.  
  
"Is he far enough away?" Hearing Kumo's soft, vaguely frightened voice, Kagome turned to look at her. The petite woman was standing behind her, her small white face filled with fear. Kagome smiled. "Sure. Sakuya-kun's pretty fast, and he'll be able to bring her down this way quickly, but you'll have time to get away." She turned back towards the front to watch Sakuya.  
  
At that time, Kumo's face fell away, as if her expression of fear were a mere mask. Her mouth widened into a hard smirk, fangs dripping glistening poison from them. Her voice changed from its soft soprano to a deep gravel-gurgling groan. "That's good. Wouldn't want him to get here in time to stop me."  
  
The miko froze at that voice, at those words, and she suddenly realized the deception. Kumo.. Kumo was the spider. And then another voice filled the air.  
  
"KAGOME!" Inuki slammed into her hard, his arms wrapping around her and holding her close as he pushed away from the danger. Using their momentum, they hit the ground hard and slid, and Kagome's teeth rattled from the impact.   
  
Instantly Inuki was on his knees, his body still shielding hers as he scrambled to get back to his feet, but the Kuromiboujin was much quicker. Before Inuki was able to get up, her head shot forward, her fangs slipping deep into his shoulder. The hanyou let out a short cry of pain, his body freezing. Kagome stared up at him, mouth hanging open.  
  
'He protected me… even though I said those nasty things to him…' Suddenly angry, she drew Tessaiga from his hip and stabbed the spider demon in the head, right between her eyes, which were quickly multiplying to eight. Kumo screamed out, releasing Inuki, and he collapsed forward into Kagome's lap. The spider reeled backwards, knocking away Mitaka as the girl tried to attack, and before anyone could do much else, the creature was climbing hastily up the face of the cliffs.  
  
Kagome bent over Inuki, pulling his hair from his face. He was unconscious, sweat forming in little beads on his face. She tried to refrain from shaking him even though that's exactly what she wanted to do. "Hey.. wake up!! Please!"   
  
Unconsciously she found herself reaching for his hand, and fear stabbed at her heart when she felt his limp fingers were cold. Her throat locked shut, and she couldn't swallow. She couldn't breathe. 'This is like before… this had happened before…!! He can't die, he just can't!' Tears gathered in her eyes against her will.  
  
"INUKI!!"  
  
...To be continued  
  
a/n :: Congratulations!! it's a baby cliffie!! I'm sure you're very proud. :) Sorry for the 'hanger there, but it's a long chapter (11 pages as opposed to my typical 6 or 7) so I'm sure you don't mind VERY much.   
  
Btw, Kuromiboujin translates directly to Black Widow. Arent I clever… /sarcasm. ;p Also, "kumo" means both spider and cloud. I thought that would be a nice deterrent from the situation, but no one would notice unless you knew that.   
  
Oh yeah!! He said her name! And she said his!!! Been wanting to do this chapter for awhile, to get in that "Inuki hates spiders" deal. I can relate, I hate the little buggers too! T.T;;; (but I love Spiderman…o.0) That bit about "a spider the size of his hand hadn't landed on his head" actually happened to a friend of mine.   
  
When I was in the 5th grade we had a pet, a tarantula named Hairy. Anyway, one day there was a science lab accident and the spider got out and we couldn't find it. My bud was on her hands and knees with all of her except her head underneath the science table, and it decided to drop from the tabletop onto her head. Scared her to death Sorry Carrie, I mock you now!!! Mua haha Okie, okie sorry  
  
Anyway, please review, and I will hang 19 out as quickly as possible!!   
  
;p  
.Tessen. 


	20. Chapter 19 Intimate

And I'm back from hiatus!! TA DAH!! ::bows:: I'm sorry for the long wait, but I finished my manga submission ::applause:: sent it off ::applause:: and finished chapter 19 of Inuki! ::more applause:: I don't know if I've won yet, since the contest isn't finished, but I really don't think I will (It really sucked. All my friends thought it was good, but I know what my best is, and it wasn't even close.) But that's okay, you guys want Inuki anyway, right?? ;p So here it is, the long-awaited nineteenth chapter of Inuki!!

Disclaimer:: Uhm, yeah I don't own Inuyasha. I own Kiley, Seth, Bri, Lori and TC though. ;p

Inuki

Chapter Nineteen :: Intimate

"Get him in here, quickly!!"

The sound of Makoto's rough voice broke Kagome from her temporary daze; the older man had taken Inuki up underneath his arms, carefully hefting the unconscious boy up onto his shoulder and disappearing with him into his son Masaki's house. Kagome nodded absently to herself, agreeing with Makoto even though the man had said nothing to her. They had to act quickly.

As she pulled herself to her feet, she noticed Sakuya standing between the blockade and the cliffs. He had appeared from his post at the end of the street; when exactly, Kagome couldn't remember. His rigid stance and angry expression told Kagome everything she needed to know about his feelings, and when she looked down at Mitaka, who was tugging at her sleeve, she knew the girl felt it as well.

They should have known. Should have realized.

"Kagome-sama, let's get inside, Sakuya will keep watch for now."

Kagome nodded, shaking slightly as she bent down to fetch Tessaiga. White knuckles gripped the blade's sheathe, holding it to her chest as if to assure no one took it from her. Mitaka led her into the dimly-lit room, shutting the shoji behind them.

In the middle of the floor, Inuki lay on a futon, his body one tremble after another. Sweat poured off his frame in buckets, and soft whimpers spilled from his lips without form. Kagome stared at him, her face blank, as though she simply could not comprehend the sight of the black-haired hanyou lying sick in bed.

Makoto knelt at his side, the back of one hand resting on Inuki's forehead. His wife Hoshi stood nearby, wringing her hands. "Well?!" Mitaka finally demanded of the headman. Makoto looked grave when he looked up at the taijiya. "His fever's bad, one of the worst I've seen," Kagome heard him reply, and Mitaka's shrill voice, "Well what does that mean?"

The old man's voice was quiet. "It means that he's been dealt a fairly large amount of poison, and that pretty soon his lungs'll lock up and Kuro'll be back for him." With his words, Kagome's hand tightened around Tessaiga's sheathe.

_Only a little while ago..._

"Miko-sama? What should we do?"

_just like this..._

"Kagome-sama?"

_I watched the man I loved die._ Kagome shook her head. "I won't watch it again." Finally snapping out of her stupor, the miko went to Inuki's side, setting Tessaiga down at his feet. As she did this, she looked up at Mitaka. "Mitaka-chan, please bring me my yellow bag. Makoto-san, I need a bowl of cold water, please. Hurry!"

.n.

In the dark he heard muffled sounds, like words spoke in hushes. A dim, orange flame flickered nearby, setting a faint glow over his closed eyes. His right shoulder burned with white-hot pain that reached across his chest and down his right arm, and his arm was quickly going numb. And as though the room itself were stifling, his chest heaved for air. But he felt every breath was not enough, as though someone were sitting on his chest, and he couldn't breathe.

He could feel his heart racing at a speed which greatly concerned him, but any worries he may have had were drowned out by the throbbing sounds in his head, and Inuki held little much else in his mind except the pain.

He felt someone tugging at his shirt, the buttons being plucked open one by one down his chest and stomach, and then a pair of rough hands helping his lifeless body to sit up. He groaned in agony at the movement, but quieted when he caught her scent. Honey and plumeria...

"Kagome..."

She didn't reply, but he felt his sleeve being pulled away from his shoulder, and then something warm and wet close over his wound. And then, the feeling of a tight, agonizing pulling; his blood was being sucked out of him. The poison with it; he could feel it being drawn from him.

He grunted, face tightening in pain. Kagome moved her head aside and spat, but then moved back and put her lips to the puncture wound again. He tensed again, bearing it until Kagome moved away, spitting again.

She tied the wound off, and Inuki opened his eyes, his blurry vision scanning the room. Sakuya stood across the room, arms folded, and Mitaka knelt next to him, a panicked expression on her small face. He found Kagome at his side, but the candles lighting the room were directly behind her, and he couldn't make out her face. "Ka.. Kagome....."

"Shh," she whispered to him, sounding sad. She set something against his lips, and he touched his tongue to it tentatively. Medicine. He gratefully took it, also drinking the water she offered. Then she eased him back down to the futon. "We don't know when she'll come back, so try to sleep."

He nodded vaguely, his head lolling back as the need to sleep became the one thing in his mind. The last thing he felt before he gave into his body's urges was Kagome's hand, cool and soft, against his cheek.

.n.

Kumo cursed silently to herself, shaking her head every so often as she trampled down trees left and right in her haste. Her true form, that of a huge black widow spider, disagreed violently with the surrounding forest with its close-knit trees and brush. The wound on her forehead throbbed.

"Stupid brat," she shrieked, "Wounding this perfect face of mine. Damn her!" Down went another few trees, the trunks crunching and the leaves fluttering as they crashed to earth, their very roots sticking up in the air from the trauma. _That's fine,_ Kumo told herself repeatedly, _That's just perfect. I never needed a reason to kill her, but I will enjoy doing it now._

Something moved out of the corner of Kumo's black globed eyes, and she swung towards it with a hiss of animosity. From underneath a veil of her webs, several dozens of eyes glittered red in the dark. From inside her nest, countless baby Kuromiboujin emerged, newborn and all starving. Kumo smiled at her good fortune.

"My cute children," she smirked at her babies, "I suppose you would like to know how to hunt..." She huddled in the brush, resting against the top of the burrow that was their lair. "I will show you..."

Her fanged grin gleamed in the faint moonlight.

.n.

Kagome opened her eyes suddenly, blinking in the dark from her short nap. She reached for the ceiling in a much-needed stretch, and with a sudden yawn she settled back against the wall, satisfied. Nothing like a good stretch.

In a separate room, Hoshi and Makoto had gone to bed after much assurance from Kagome that things would be taken care of. Mitaka too had dozed off, the young girl not yet used to staying up all night on a youkai hunt. Sakuya was apparently too angry with himself to succumb to slumber; the boy stood at the door, his fingers tapping impatiently against his zanbatou's blade as he watched the outside for signs of youkai.

Kagome looked down at Inuki. He was doing better; his breathing was still a little too fast for her liking, and he was fevering a lot. _Thankfully,_ she thought, _he's out of danger for now. But if Kumo comes back soon... he won't be able to withstand a second bite._

"Unh..." Inuki winced, his body tensing in a slight spasm. Kagome went to him instantly, pulling her handkerchief from the bowl of cold water by his futon. She wrung it out and then wiped his face, frowning as she swept his pale features. _He's sweating so heavily... Hasn't he gotten over the worst of it..?_

Dark brown eyes creaked open. "Uh..."

She smiled at him, hoping the gesture seemed reassuring and didn't betray her true worries. She didn't have to worry because he closed his eyes again anyway. The violent trembles racking his body finally stopped, and his head fell to the side as he relaxed. After a moment, he spoke, his voice quiet. "How long was I asleep?"

"A few hours, I think. Are you in any pain?" she queried, and he shook his head. "Not really.. my body just won't listen to what I'm telling it. I'm numb everywhere." She nodded, setting aside her handkerchief. Her hands tightened around themselves, clenching repeatedly in and out of fists as she gathered her courage.

"Yashagawa-kun, you--"

"Higurashi, I--"

Both teenagers stopped, and after a moment, they both chuckled, partly from relief and partly from amusement. Kagome smiled down at him. "You go first."

"No," he replied, "You go." At this, Kagome pursed her lips, nodding. Again she prepared herself for the worst and set her shoulders. "Yashagawa-kun... you..." She swallowed. "I'm sorry, about what I said earlier."

"Huh?" Her eyes, sad and glittering faint gold from the candles, turned on him, and he felt a wave of emotion go over his numb body. "When I yelled at you... and I said..."

"Oh..." he murmured, his eyes going wide from the memory, "when you said you hoped I got stomped on by the spider." Kagome sagged immediately, as though her shoulders were burdened with too-heavy of a load, and her face fell. "Yeah, that..." Inuki shrugged, or attempted to. His good shoulder twitched. So did his bad one, and he winced slightly. "Don't worry about it," he grit out.

"I can't help but worry about it," she said, her voice both empathetic to his current shoulder pain and exasperated by it. She helped him sit up, her hands nimbly working to remove his old bandage, and while she did so, she continued, "It's just that... Even after I said that to you, you still jumped between me and Kumo." Her eyes met his. "You still protected me."

"Of course I did," he snapped at her, "Did you think I was going to stand there and let that bitch eat you? That's so stupid." He looked away, eyes narrowed. Quietly he added, "I don't care if you hate me, but I would never forgive myself if I let something happen to you."

Kagome looked shocked. "I don't hate you! You're the one who helped me That Night, weren't you??" She lowered her eyes, hands now applying herbal remedies to his wound. "You're not just some boy who's living in my house, or the guy who sits next to me in class... You're important to me."

Inuki closed his mouth. Neither of them needed to add details from "That Night" to recognize it, for both knew the night she meant. The evening of the full moon, of her birthday, when the truth of Inuyasha' death had come to light. And when Inuki had held her against his chest, letting her cry in a way she hadn't ever before. A faint blush colored Inuki's cheeks at the mention of that night, and tightly he responded, "Uh... thanks." Kagome nodded, murmuring softly in response.

For a long time there was nothing said between them; the boy sat still, thoughts flooding his mind while the girl bound his shoulder. It reassured him that Kagome thought more of him than she put on; it made him feel he wasn't by himself in the middle of no-man's land. But despite that, he wished for more. Even the small favor of using his first name...

He barely remembered it now; it felt like a dream. But as he had been slipping into unconsciousness, right after Kumo bit him, he'd heard Kagome call his name. She'd called out "Inuki."

In those short moments, it had made him really happy. She regarded him intimate enough to call him Inuki, and not Yashagawa-kun, even though the honorific had never been overly formal. In fact, Kagome had a way of making it sound specialized just for him.

But he wanted her to call him Inuki. He wanted to hear her say his name.

He reached up, holding his shoulder and rolling it slightly, wincing. "It's a good dressing," he told her, and then with a sheepish grin he added, "Thanks." She nodded, folding unused gauze and storing it away in her kit. Offhandedly she wondered, "What was it you wanted to say? A little while ago."

Inuki's mouth hung open slightly. _I... I want you to..._ Kagome turned to him, as if hearing his unspoken words. But she hadn't; her face was inquisitive, patiently waiting for him to speak. A lump formed in his throat, and he backed down instantly. "Nothing..."

"In that case, I have something I have to ask you." He shrugged and Kagome asked softly, "Would you call me Kagome from now on?"

He had to struggle to keep himself from falling face-forward like he so desperately felt like doing inwardly. How was it she managed to pinpoint whatever it was he tried to keep from her?! "Wh-wh-wh-wh-what?!" Kagome's cheeks flushed pink, and her smile broadened in an attempt to hide her embarrassment. "When you shielded me... I heard you call my name. I feel like we've gotten a lot closer than before. I want you to call me Kagome from now, and... I wanted to know if it was okay if I called you Inuki."

He was practically shaking with joy. There was nothing he could do, short of grabbing her in a hug and dancing around the room, to express how utterly happy he was. However, you'd never be able to tell by looking at him.

He half-glanced at her from underneath his dark bangs. "Do whatever you like." Kagome brightened. "Okay. Inuki-kun." He watched her discreetly as she got up onto her knees, moving over to plunk down by his side. Then she gently took his good arm, tugging him downward. He looked up at her in surprise, blushing. "Wha.. What are you doing...??"

Kagome smiled as she guided his head down to her lap. "Lie down and rest for a bit. I think we still have a little while before we have to worry about Kumo. I stabbed her with the Tessaiga. And it may not have been Inuyasha wielding it, but the sword still has powers against youkai; she's not faring too well right now."

Inuki nodded, still lying stiffly against Kagome's thighs. But he could feel himself being lured to sleep by the soothing feeling of her fingers combing through his hair, and her gentle scent of honey and plumeria. _She smells so nice..._

Kagome looked down. In her lap, Inuki had fallen asleep; his chest rose and fell in a slow rhythm. She smiled softly in the dark room.

.n.

When Inuki opened his eyes, the sun was just starting to peek over the hills, and rays of peach-colored light slipped underneath the bamboo roll and in through the window. Sakuya was still awake, having faithfully kept watch all night, but his body slouched slightly against his weapon, exhausted.

Inuki stood, being careful not to jostle Kagome awake. His rumpled shirt was on the futon, and he tugged it on as he headed to the door by Sakuya. The boy looked up in surprise at him. After a moment he smirked. "Figured you were dead by now, you weakling." Despite the harsh words, he allowed the relief to come through, and Inuki didn't miss it, even though it was probably because Inuki was just another good hand to help fight Kumo.

"Any sightings?" the hanyou wondered, and Sakuya shook his head silently. Inuki clicked his tongue with an air of annoyance, looking over the small village. He put on hand over his bad shoulder, rotating the arm to test it. It ached a little, but at least it wasn't the shooting, numbing pains of the previous evening.

It occurred to Inuki that Kagome had saved his life, and that he owed her one. He glanced back at the girl, who was curled up on the futon, sleeping peacefully. She was so much stronger than she seemed; Inuyasha's death had summoned a dark cloud that hid the truly beautiful and powerful person she really was. To Inuki, one smile lit up the room. Her laugh drowned out everything that was bad.

And he was grateful that he was alive to be able to see her smile again.

"Are you in love with her?"

The six words broke him from his thoughts. His cheeks quickly flushing bright red, Inuki quickly discerned the meaning of the words, and the direction they'd come from. His dinner plate-wide eyes landed on Sakuya's mischievous mug. And though he meant to reply with something that made sense, his jaw disengaged and he instead burbled, "Wha-bu.. Huh?"

Irked, Sakuya waved a hand in the other boy's direction. "Never mind, you haven't gotten past the fidgeting phase yet..."

Inuki frowned, irritated by Sakuya's know-it-all attitude. "What about you? You and Mitaka-chan... Are you?" He gestured at him knowingly, "You know." Sakuya nodded, crossing his arms and glancing back into the room at Mitaka.

"Yeah.. For a while now. It was Sango-sensei and Mi-chan who found me. When my village was attacked by a group of youkai, I was the only one who fought back. Everyone was so weak... every one of the worthless, scared bastards were killed, just leaving me." Sakuya looked up at Inuki, eyes blazing. "I thought that, you know? For the longest time I thought the only way to survive was through power. To live you had to be the strongest."

He smirked, looking towards his feet. "Mi-chan ain't like that though. Even though she's smaller than me, she always beat me. That was when I realized you didn't necessarily have to be strong physically. It could be your heart that was strong. I'd still be that way if she hadn't taken pity on me and loved me first."

Then the boy-taijiya shrugged and looked outside. "Course, you're just a wuss, physically and the other." Inuki growled. "You wanna fight?"

"Trouble!! Taijiya-san, it's come again!"

Instantly Sakuya and Inuki were tensed for battle, as the terrified man hauled down the road, screaming his head off. Sakuya pulled his zanbatou out of the ground, cursing sarcastically. "Idiot, yell a little louder; I don't think she knows we've seen her yet!"

Kumo was indeed coming, and in the daylight her true form's size could easily be distinguished from the surroundings. She was, as Sakuya had estimated the day before, not very big. Her body itself was about the size of a large office desk. It was her long legs that made up the most of her mass; eight thick appendages that she swung in any direction, batting aside terrified villagers as though she were a cat playing with a disabled mouse.

And that wasn't all that Inuki noticed. Little black Kuromiboujin babies scuttled over the fallen villagers that their mother had taken out for them, leaping and biting at will. There were at least 30, very likely even more, but they moved so quickly, swarming like an army of ants, that he couldn't even begin to get a correct head count.

Uttering a few choice words, Inuki spun around glaring back into the dim hut. "Kagome! Mitaka! Wake up!!" The miko stirred awake, looking up with sleepy eyes. "Hm? What?" After a second her eyes focused on Inuki, and she dropped her head to rub her eyes from the bright dawn just past his silhouette. "What are you yelling about..."

"Kumo's back, you idiot, get up!!!"

The words translated instantaneously, and Kagome stumbled up, not bothering with her shoes. She slung her weapon, shaking awake Mitaka as she did. When she looked up, Inuki had already disappeared out the door. Fear tightened in her chest like a vice. "Inuki-kun, your wound isn't healed yet!!"

.n.

It seemed obvious now that the original plans from the night before were useless, since it was the village who had been ambushed and not the spider, but at least the damn villagers could help, like they'd originally offered. That was really the only thing Inuki thought of as he swatted aside and stabbed through the baby spiders. But no, the humans that were left huddled in horror-stricken clumps in their homes, crying in fear.

At least he could use Tessaiga. The fully-transformed blade felt like a feather in his hands, as he swung to and fro, taking out babies that were about the size of cocker spaniels. Even then, eliminating 5 or 6 with every swing of the sword, there was no end to the army.

Across the way, Sakuya's much larger blade was taking out 8 or 9, and even he was making no dent in them. The younger boy was doing very well for being so tired; even having stayed up all night was no comparison to the rush of adrenaline the fight brought.

Kagome and Mitaka finally emerged from Makoto's house, and deftly moved within the storm to gather the survivors and bring them behind the safety of the blockade, still left up from the plans last night. There, Mitaka's quick blades made short work of the babies, Kagome's arrows dusting them easily.

And still they came.

"God!" Kagome interjected, dangerously close to pulling an Inuyasha and cursing, "There's just no end to them!!"

"Kuromiboujin can have up to 300 babies!" Mitaka called, and then Kagome did curse. _Twang! Twang twang twang!_ Arrow after arrow, and finally there was a short break. "This is going to take forever!! Someone's gotta run out of steam sometime!!"

"I have the sinking feeling it'll be us," Inuki said, suddenly at her side. Kagome blinked, not realizing when he'd gotten there. Protecting Mitaka-chan was Sakuya, though he looked like he might drop any minute.

The two of them had brought over the last of the survivors, and now, 13 people, 2 taijiya and 2 kids from the future stood facing an enormous spider and her babies. Kumo loomed over them, a wide grin splitting her inhuman face and showing off the fangs that dripped with venom. "Well well well..." she crooned, "How the mighty have fallen. Didn't the lot of you intend to trap ME here and kill me? How the tables have turned!"

Kagome swallowed, the feeling of being cornered surrounding her, suffocating her. The dozens of red eyes staring hungrily at her did nothing but cement the feel of the cold, hard stone behind her, and intensify the lump in her throat the size of a rock. _It's been a long time since I was scared like this.. A long time.. Inuyasha...!_

Someone's hand snapped around hers. Kagome looked up at Inuki and he shook his head. She could feel him willing his strength to her, his confidence in himself. And in her. "It's alright. Don't lose it on me now, I promised to protect you."

Feeling his strength, Kagome felt her own confidence renew itself, and she swallowed past the lump, glaring up at the gigantic spider-demon. And then, before anyone could do anything, there was another feeling she hadn't felt in half a year.

_The presence of a Shikon shard!_

Kagome's eyes snapped wide open and she slipped her hand into her pocket, where the Shikon no Tama had been since she and Inuki left her house two days ago. Her eyes, if it were possible, widened even more when she looked upon the globe.

_It's.. glowing!!_

...To be continued

a/n :: You guys know I like reviews, right? ();p lol But it's not like I'm going to threaten you into reviewing... (I want 10 reviews by the end of the week or no more cookies for you! Mua haha!!) ::smacks the chibi Tess with little devil wings on shoulder:: Don't mind her, she's uh.. not a people person. Till the next chapter!!

;p

.Tessen.


	21. Chapter 20 Shikon Light

Thank you for the reviews!! I lubs you guys so much!! I was sorta worried about bringing it back, because last year when 2bwu went on hiatus, I lost all of my readers. Some came back, some didn't. I was afraid to put this on hiatus for the same reason, but you guys came back! ::cookies and plushies for everyone!:: And a new chapter, lol

Oh yeah, and too bad he can't use Kaze no Kizu. lol Though, in this chapter, he won't need to. Read on to find out why. ;p

Disclaimer:: I'm Rumiko Takahashi, so I own Inuyasha. No really, I swear! ... Okay, so I'm not. Don't laugh.

Inuki

Chapter Twenty :: Shikon Light

_It's... glowing!_

Kagome gawped at the faintly glowing sphere, her mouth hanging slightly open. It lay in her hand, the cold blackness of the stone's previous state gone. Gone, and replaced by a gentle warmth and soft pink light. It flickered slightly, as if resonating with its missing piece, and Kagome looked around herself for it.

_I feel it, she thought to herself, I can feel the essence. I haven't been able to feel the presence of the Shikon since after Inuyasha died, but.. Discreetly she turned, eyeballing Sakuya and Mitaka, and then back at Kumo. Maybe she has it? She's a youkai.. but I'm not missing any shards; we gathered them all. I don't.._

As if it were the Shikon no Tama itself willing her understand, Kagome felt her eyes drawn to her side, where Inuki stood. He was glaring up at Kumo, Tessaiga held in his hands, his posture and expression exuding confidence and trust.

And from within him, a strong, bright light shone.

Kagome closed her hand around the ball, now desperately confused. Inuki had it? How? When? Why? Questions burned through her mind, even as something tugged from the back of her brain, to present the solution. She allowed herself to be drawn back to the worst day of her life for a mere moment.

Long enough to remember what had happened the day Inuyasha died.

Kagome's eyes snapped open. _That's right.. I tried to save him with the jewel and its essence went_ into _Inuyasha's body...! And Inuki who is Inuyasha's reincarnation..._

She gasped slightly. _...Does Inuki have the light of the Shikon inside of HIM?!_

And then, with her impeccable timing, Kumo attacked.

.n.

Almost as if they'd had a silent understanding between them, Inuki and the taijiya moved swiftly as the spiders swarmed them. Sakuya took the left and Mitaka the right while Inuki headed straight underneath Momma Kumo herself.

Mitaka darted into the group, using her own small size and her insane speed to match the level the spiders moved at. Kodachi unsheathed, she concentrated on her mission: _I am a taijiya; the demon slayer. How dare you attack the people of this town! I won't let you harm humans!_ She moved almost like dancing, twisting and slipping in and out of range of the young demons, leaving killing blows as she went.

Sakuya was a tornado, swinging and slamming the zanbatou down unmercifully on the flesh-eating baby Kuromiboujin. As he flew through the crowd, he took all of his emotion, the anger at losing his village to youkai, his feelings for Mitaka, and focused them into his arms, to be his strength. Like she'd taught him. _This is what I trained for! For Mitaka, and for these people, I'll kill you all myself!_

Inuki felt the adrenaline rush through him like a flash flood, washing away all thoughts except that he had to protect Kagome. Kagome was what was important. He swept the transformed Tessaiga through the cloud of attacking arachnids, flinging them about, slashing through them. When they came too close, he slashed at them with his claws.

Slowly the three of them pulled away from the cliff face, moving closer and closer towards the enemy and away from that which signified their loss, their being back into a corner. It was only until Inuki was surrounded by a field of black that he realized Kagome had not followed them into the fray.

Instead, she was pressed up against the cliff face, clutching something in her hands. And Kumo noticed the moment he did. The enormous mother stomped towards the miko, glaring down at her.

"You," she growled out, "You were the one who scarred my face." Kagome was only a little unnerved as she swallowed, her eyes narrowing in anger. "You tried to kill my best friend! You deserve it, you ugly.. old.. HAG!"

Kumo's eyes blazed and she lifted one claw, swiping at Kagome. The young miko let out a short cry, dodging it nimbly, but not nimbly enough: Kumo smacked her with a second strike. Inuki's heart leapt to his throat. "Kagome!"

Kagome hit the ground hard, her hand opening when she fell. A soft _tink-tink-tink _alerted her to a new problem, and her eyes widened in horror as she watched the Shikon no Tama roll out of reach. The little pink ball disappeared into the throng of baby spiders, and Kagome gasped. "No!! The Jewel!!"

'The Jewel' was all Kumo heard. Bored with Kagome now, the youkai spider began to search frantically for the jewel, the simple knowing that a greater power was within her reach fueling her greed. Inuki called over to Kagome, avoiding Kumo as she stomped around searching for the Jewel. "Kagome!! Are you hurt?!" Kagome shook her head, pushed herself up on the heels of her hands. "Inuki, I dropped the Shikon no Tama, if Kumo gets it...!!"

He nodded once, and turned in the direction he last saw the jewel. Shoving aside spiders and stabbing through even more, Inuki searched the ground for the little round rock, dodging more of Kumo's angry stomps as he went. The gigantic arachnid was unable to turn properly to search him out with her eyes, and so she merely stomped around, hoping to hit him. Because of that, it was easy to avoid.

Finally a glint of pink caught his eye and Inuki dove for it, snagging the ball right out the claw of a baby Kuromiboujin. The moment his fingers touched the glass surface though, Inuki felt a hot wave of pain wash over him, as if something from the depths of his soul were being uprooted and drawn to the surface.

"Hot!" He yelped softly, eyes closing of their own volition as the jewel also took on an unnatural heat. He forced them to open a half-second later, to look upon the ball. It was glowing brighter in the palm of his hand than he'd ever seen it before. What seemed even stranger was that he seemed to be glowing as well.

The dull ache in his body began to subside, but after a few moments Inuki realized it was not the pain that was going away, but him. The world was going dark around him, and Inuki let the Tessaiga drop to the ground.

_What is this feeling? My blood is hot! Like it's boiling in my veins..._

The claws on his hands began to lengthen, and Inuki grit his teeth. They too ached uncomfortably, and he ran his tongue over them; they were fangs, longer even than on his youkai night. And a new feeling surged up underneath the bewilderment.

_I need.. to kill..._

.n.

From underneath Kumo, a howl of raw fury erupted through the battle, and a streak of red and black shot up. In an instant, Kumo screamed out in pain, and her two back legs collapsed to the ground. Her rear end crashed to the ground unsupported, flattening several of her youngsters.

Mitaka gave a yelp as the spider's flailing arms knocked her into the hard wooden wall of a nearby home, and Sakuya looked up at her cry. "Mi-chan!" He rushed over to her, slipping an arm around her. "Mi-chan?" She put up a hand, waving it at him dismissively. "I'm okay, Sakuya, I really am.."

Watching from across the street, Kagome let out a sigh of relief now that she was reassured that Mitaka was alright. But it was short-lived as she resumed the bewildered expression on her face and followed the trail the attacker had taken... landing on Inuki. The teenager stood near a house, doubled over slightly. A belligerent growl was coming from deep in his throat, warning those near to stay away. Violet stripes painted his cheekbones and sharp fangs jut out against his lip.

Kagome felt a mixture of shock and fear strike her, almost like lightning, when Inuki opened his deep red eyes.

_Oh my God, he transformed!_

"BRAT!" Kumo roared, drawing the new youkai's attention to her. She lifted one hand, bringing it down as if to strike him, but Inuki's new instincts and new strength far outweighed that of a spider's. He darted underneath her, using only his right hand to tear through her legs. The other stayed tightly clenched, Kagome wasn't sure why.

But as Inuki ripped through Kumo, destroying the spider in seconds, Kagome couldn't help but be afraid. She had, at once time, never been afraid of Inuyasha. Even in his youkai form, she'd been sure he would never hurt her. And then he had. She'd shot him for it; she'd tried to kill him that day.

And it gave Inuki the scar over his heart.

She knew she couldn't do it again. The thought of even aiming one of her purifying arrows at Inuki made her knees buckle. But she didn't think she could stop him unless she did, because she was too scared to even move towards him while he was like this...

The baby spiders, not really old enough to make coherent "human" thought, were not nearly rational enough to understand what had happened to their mother. But they did understand the immense jyaki Inuki was emitting, and they didn't like it. The few dozen that were left turned and fled, making terrified screeching noises as they knocked over villagers to escape into the safety of the woods.

Mitaka watched the babies flee with a certain amount of pity for them, even as relieved as she was. _Their poison isn't strong enough now to even kill a small rabbit... Without their mother to help them hunt, they'll be dead before the end of the week._

The danger gone, everyone returned their gazes to Inuki, who stood in the middle of Kumo's remains, still. He was panting, his left hand still tightly clenched around something. Kagome peered at him, trying to see if she could see what he held, but she saw nothing except a malevolent black light.

A cold shiver of realization swept her. _The Shikon no Tama. I asked him to grab it before Kumo did. And when he did, his youkai powers awakened the jewel.._

_I can purify it._

Kagome leapt to her feet, pushing aside a shank of Kumo's hide to make her way to the confused youkai boy. "Inuki!!" At the sound of her voice, his head snapped up to glare at her, and he let out a snarl that would have stopped even Inuyasha. "No!"

Kagome stopped, standing completely still. Inuki stared meaningfully at her. "Leave me.. alone.." He staggered back a step or two, his free hand going up to clutch at his head. Kagome put her hands out, trying to show she was safe. "Inuki-kun, I can help you. If you let me come near..."

"NO!" he roared again, "Just stay the hell away from me.. My body..." He closed his eyes. "This stupid thing is talking to me... I can't..." Kagome winced, not really understanding him. His broken sentences and hoarse voice didn't help the situation. She took a step forward, but then Inuki spoke again. "Just.. stop. I'm not.."

He stood up suddenly and with all of his might flung the Shikon no Tama into the woods. "LET GO OF ME!"

Kagome gasped out loud, instantly wishing he hadn't done that. Inuki reverted to his normal self and slid to his knees, clutching his hand. She raced to his side. "Inuki-kun!"

She looked at him seriously, taking in his haggard appearance with a mixture of relief and concern. "Are you okay?" His face was pale, eyes weak as he looked up at her. She noticed then that his left palm was bright red, as if burned. In the middle was a small, round depression where the flesh was blistered. Kagome narrowed her eyes. _The Shikon no Tama was merging with him...?_

Inuki looked helplessly at her. "What happened to me..?"

Kagome opened her mouth to reply, but then shut it. It would be better to share everything at once with Kaede, to make sure Kagome had the right idea before she started spouting everything to the confused and horrified hanyou. "Let's go home," she suggested, "You need to rest."

In the nearby woods, a dark figure watched from the trees with a smirk. He turned, taking each step slowly and deliberately so as not to accidentally smash what it was he searched for. A glint of pink caught his eye and he snickered as he bent down to retrieve the ball.

"Well well well.." Katsuseki mused, "The Shikon no Tama. Not exactly what I want, but then.. I'm willing to make a bargain."

.n.

"Ow."

Kagome winced as she rebandaged Inuki's hand. "Sorry," she told him and he shook his head. Behind them, Kaede stirred the embers while Sango prepared tea for everyone. "Does it still hurt very much?" the miko asked and Inuki shrugged. "I said before I don't think I need a bandage, it just stings. Like something tried to drill a hole through my hand--"

"As odd as it sounds, I know how you feel," Miroku piped, and they all just sort of glanced at him. Kagome looked back at Inuki. "It's an open wound. It'll get dirty and take longer to heal if you don't keep it covered." Inuki rolled his eyes. "Whatever."

"Wuss," Sakuya said from across the room, and Inuki glared at him. "What'd you say?!"

"Kagome, go through it again, would you?" Kaede quickly turned the subject to their new, more pressing matters and Kagome nodded as she tied off the dressing on Inuki's wound. "When Inuyasha was... I tried to use the jewel to save him. But instead, this little pink light went into him and ever since, the Shikon no Tama was black and cold."

She shifted to face the old woman, putting away her medical supplies. "But yesterday, when I pulled out the jewel while I was near Inuki-kun.. it started to glow. And when he touched it, it activated. And then he transformed into a full youkai and massacred pretty much everything."

Inuki cleared his throat, waving a hand. "Hey, I'm right here. I can hear you, you know."

Ignoring him, Kaede nodded gravely and then folded her hands in her lap. "Hearing it again doesn't change my views. I believe your first assumption is correct: when Inuyasha passed away he took the very spirit of the jewel with him. And Inuki was reborn with it."

Sango sipped her tea, fingers pensively tracing circles on the cup. "So the Shikon no Tama is now in two parts." Kaede nodded. "Yes."

"What caused Inuki-sama to transform?" Mitaka wondered, "Sensei told us that the Shikon no Tama gives power to youkai, even hanyou, but if it's separated from itself..." Miroku shook his head then. "No. I think, the two parts -- the core of the Shikon that is inside of Inuki, and the body of the Jewel that Kagome-sama had-- were resonating and became one for that moment. Therefore whenever Inuki touches the Jewel, it's the same as it being whole."

"And just as Inuyasha was, Inuki is a hanyou," Kaede said. Sakuya nodded, finally understanding the situation. "Then the power of the jewel forced his youkai blood to the surface and he tore out the youkai's guts."

"Still loving the being talked about," Inuki groaned, leaning against his good hand.

"We will worry about rejoining the Shikon some other time. For the time being, all we really must do about this matter is keep the two halves away from each other," Kaede concluded. "Inuki must not hold or even touch it."

"Weeelll..." Kagome began, biting her lip slightly. Everyone looked at her and she fidgeted on her knees, rubbing her two forefingers together nervously. Inuki, also looking rather apprehensive, finished, "That kinda won't be a problem..."

"What is the matter, Kagome-sama?" Miroku asked and Kagome exchanged a glance with Inuki. He shrugged at her and she looked back at her friends. "I lost the Shikon no Tama."

Five mouths dropped open.

"What are you, a curse?" Kaede finally demanded, "First you break it, then you lose the whole thing?" Kagome's mouth dropped open. "No! I.. It was _HIS_ fault!" Inuki gawped at her, indignant that their camaraderie in taking the blame was so short-lived. "_My_ fault?!"

Kagome turned to glare at him. "You're the idiot who THREW it to God-knows-where!"

"I wanted to get the damn thing _away_ from me!"

"I was _coming_ to get it!!"

"Stupid!" Inuki snatched her hand, holding it gently despite the suddenness of the action. Kagome blushed, but her embarrassment didn't faze Inuki in the least. "I didn't want you near me while I was like that! I wasn't sure what I might do, and.." A pale pink color overtook his cheeks. "If something ever happened to you, I would never be able to forgive myself."

Kagome smiled empathetically. "Thank you." Then her face turned dark. "But you're gonna need to grovel a lot more to get me to forgive you for losing the Jewel."

Inuki sighed.

...To be continued

a/n :: I'm about to kill the mood. ;p Have any of you ever seen the third Inuyasha movie, _Tenka Hadou no Ken_? When you get the chance-- _GO. AND. SEE. IT._ It freaking ROCKS. I got to see it this past weekend, and I SO do not regret it. It was an awesome movie. As all 3 of the movies are, it wasn't especially anime or manga canon-ish, but good nonetheless. (Honestly, I consider the movies about an hour and a half of fan service, lmao. But fan service isnt bad. Oh no, no no.) Anyway-- order of the week: GO SEE IT!

But review first. lol Chapter 21 will be up soon.

;p

.Tessen.


	22. Chapter 21 Tricks of the Trade

I bet you guys thought I'd given up on poor little Inuki, huh::hands out cookies: Rest assured, this and the rest of my uncompleted stories WILL be finished. I have too much in store for Inuki to let him stop at 20 chapters. ;p This chapter is also 4-6 pages longer than usual to make up for the lack of updates. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: Theyre not mine. Please don't sue me Takahashi-sensei.

Inuki

Chapter Twenty-One : Tricks of the Trade

_So this is the famous Shikon no Tama…_

Katsuseki knelt in front of Sadako, holding out the ball. The blind girl's hand reached out, clawed fingers brushing over the smooth surface of the jewel. Katsuseki watched for any change in her, brushing away his red hair with his free hand. Finally Sadako pulled away, shaking her head.

_Nothing. _

"That means it's true then. What we thought about that brat hanyou."

_Yes, I would say so. Inuki contains the Soul of the Jewel within his own body. The amplifying power of the Tama is gone. I feel nothing._

"I'm sorry, Sada…" Katsuseki said softly, cupping the girl's cheek. "I wish there were other ways to cure you."

The girl shook her head again, leaning into his palm. One arm, draped heavily in her long robes, came up to hold his. _Do not feel sorry._ She told him firmly, _We will raise the Master and nothing will be ill anymore. You are helping me as quickly as you can. It is Inuki's weakness that hinders us._

"He wasn't weak when I saw him with this, Sada," Katsuseki warned, shifting on the tatami to sit straighter. Sadako's blank, cream-colored eyes centered on him questioningly, and he continued. "When he held this, his youki changed. It wasn't that of a hanyou, but a full youkai's. And his eyes were different."

_I suppose then that this means even though the Jewel's Soul is inside him, it isn't dormant, Sadako mused, lowering her blind gaze to the floor. That gives us a chance then. But we should test this again first._

Katsuseki blinked, one eyebrow raising. "What chance?"

.n.

It was shortly before dawn when he awoke. His brown eyes snapped open as though startled awake by a strange dream, blinking rapidly in the thick darkness. A cold shudder ran over his skin, and Inuki raised a hand to his face, leaning into his palm. The hanyou could easily sense the presence of Souta, sleeping in the top bunk of the bed they shared. The box fan stood half-leaned against the dresser, its dull roar drowning out any noises that might keep him awake, and blowing cool air over him.

It was usually a perfect combination to put him to sleep. His mother had always had a fan in his room when he was a baby, and it had conditioned him so deeply that now he couldn't go to sleep unless the fan was on. Even odder was the fact that if someone turned it off, he snapped awake.

He wished it could be blamed on the fan that he was currently in the world of the waking instead of curled back up under his blankets, dreaming of ramen or some such nonsense. Tonight, the same as the past week, sleep had come slowly, and what came was hardly enough to be called good. On the outer edges of his consciousness, he could feel that he was shivering, and it wasn't because of the fan's air. He couldn't recall exactly what it was that had woken him aside from it being some frightening dream, and he was glad he couldn't remember it.

Blandly he gazed at his wounded hand. Kagome had put up such a fuss about it, but it truly hadn't hurt. He had removed the bandage days ago, and he stared at it in the manner a scientist has when examining a test subject. The palm of his hand was perfect, unblemished and flawed in no way whatsoever. The depression in his palm, where Kagome had said --and the others agreed-- the Shikon no Tama had been trying to enter him, was gone completely and the blisters that had once lay over his hand left no trace at all. Though it seemed like good news, worry stirred deep in the boy.

_Youkai or not…I've never healed this quickly, or this well. I've always guessed that my powers were sleeping inside me, and I was grateful for it. I don't need youryoku in the 21st century. But now that I'm using them, they're starting to wake up…_

He narrowed his eyes and poked the skin with his claws as if trying to make it hurt. Anything that would confirm against what he felt was happening to him. But his flesh seemed tougher than usual. Harder to hurt. _It was just a little burn, but I've had minor burns before. It never healed like this._ He closed his hand, eyes staring at the floor though not seeing it.

_Does that mean I'm becoming more like a youkai?_

.n.

"Augh, this is stupid. Why are we out here in the blistering heat looking for a relic that doesn't even do what its supposed to do anymore?"

Kagome sighed, adding a little whimper to emphasize how exhausted and exasperated she was by the hanyou's complaining. Inuki had known all week that they were coming back to the Sengoku-jidai to search for the Jewel --which Kagome never hesitated to remind him that they wouldn't have had to had he not flung it into the wilderness-- and he hadn't stopped bellyaching yet. He walked at her side, a disgruntled frown on his lean face, his backpack on one arm and Tessaiga slung on his back. _Now that I think about it,_ Kagome thought,_ it looks really weird there… Inuyasha always wore it at his hip. _

She readjusted her own pack's strap, as it was starting to slip from her shoulder, and groaned a little. _Should've brought my bicycle_, she muttered mentally, pausing to tap her sneakers against the ground. Then she turned to the boy. "If you hadn't--"

He cut her off with a loud, boisterous groan, stomping ahead. "I know, I heard you the first eighteen-thousand times: 'If it wasn't for INUKI, who flung it into God-knows-where, we wouldn't _have_ to look for it anyway.' I get it, I get it, I get it. Shut the hell up already."

As intended, his last comment shut her up, but not for long. "_What_! How dare you yell at me like that! Don't act like this is my fault! We have to do this because it's our job!"

He turned back, and Kagome suddenly found her overzealous attitude doused with the cold vibe coming from him. Inuki leaned forward, bringing his face close to her own. "It's _dead_, Kagome. The core of the Jewel is in me, so what do we need the ball for? It's not like it can give youkai power now," he said for the seventh time.

_That's true, Kagome thought to herself, then realizing another concerning little tidbit: if the core was inside Inuki, wouldn't it be safer to go back home anyway? Youkai would probably sense the aura of the Jewel and come looking for it, only to find a grumpy hanyou…. She shook her head._

"That's not the point. We have to try and get the core out of you and rejoin it with the jewel. We have to have the jewel for that," she argued, and Inuki grunted with exasperation. Kagome snorted, sounding skeptical. _What in the WORLD does he have to be exasperated with ME for?_

Now that she looked at him though, Kagome noticed subtle differences in the way he stood, the way he moved. He walked slower, shoulders sagging as if tired. His eyelids hung half-mast, and dark shadows were under his eyes. He hardly looked alive, much less capable of looking for a rock the diameter of an 100-yen piece.

That nagged at her worry center; Inuki slept a lot. Even Mama and Jiichan had noticed his unusual preoccupation with getting a good night's sleep. It seemed all he ever DID was sleep, and when he did, he was capable of snoozing right on through a storm. For him to be lacking in sleep was meandering off into Bizarroland. "Inuki-kun, didn't you get enough sleep last night?"

"No, I had too much on my mind," he replied, yawning and rubbing at his eyes.

Kagome frowned, looking disappointed. "Why didn't you say something? We could have waited until tomorrow," she folded her arms, looking down the road. _He can be so much like Inuyasha sometimes, it's aggravating. Usually he's an open book, tells people what he's thinking. Something _really_ gets on his mind though and up come the Inuyasha-like barriers._

_Well, Kagome thought to herself with a sigh, nothing to be done about that. She adjusted her bag on her shoulder, pausing for a moment to glance around. Most of the area surrounding the path they were on was forest, and a small branch of the river flowed less than a mile away to the south. She knew for certain that a village was on the other side of the creek. Hardly too much of a distance to walk so that her exhausted companion could rest._

She turned to look at him; he was still walking, slower now, his head hanging and eyes closed. His breathing was deeper as well. _Did he fall asleep while he was walking? _She wondered in a dumbstruck awe, at the same time heading back towards him and giving his arm a gentle tug. "Inuki-kun, are you asleep?"

He didn't even open his eyes, and his reply was but a murmur. "Hm.. No. Just resting my eyes."

"Uh-huh," said the young woman skeptically, an amused smile on her face. "C'mon. There's a little spot by the river not too far from here. We'll go ahead and make camp and you can catch up on your 40 winks. Looks like you're about 37 short."

"Hm.."

.n.

Inuki was snoring softly by the time they reached the first house, and Kagome was still in a state of mild awe how he could sleep and walk at the same time. She supposed it helped that she was holding his hand and leading him like he was a three year old in a mall, but she estimated that she would've swooned and collapsed by now regardless of assistance.

The town, at first glance, seemed like any normal village, but it was only as she drew closer that Kagome began to notice the awful shape the fields were in. Large ditches scarred the fields, half-grown vegetables strewn in broken clumps. Several houses were in a ramshackle state, others reduced to piles of broken wood.

In the center of the village, the townspeople were grouped around something of interest and children hung around the backs of the adults' legs like stray dogs, attempting to squeeze in past the adults to the middle of the circle. All of them were hollering and whooping, making a general ruckus, so much that she couldn't make out much of what was being said. What was clear to her though was the weapons --spears, swords, even farming hoes-- in the hands of every villager. Even the children carried rocks.

"Let mee GOOO!"

Kagome heard the shrill little voice as she came closer, and her joints stiffened. The strap of her bag slipped off her slackened shoulders, dropping down to hang awkwardly at the crook of her elbow. The sudden broken connection with her hand startled Inuki awake. "I'm not asleep," he professed.

Kagome let the bag fall to the ground and ran into the crowd, shoving and pushing past people. "Move, get out of my way! MOVE!" She broke out on the other side, half gasping, eyes wide as she searched the empty circle surrounded by the villagers, eyes blindly looking for the one crying out, desperate to know if it was who she thought it was.

It was.

"_Shippou-chan!"_

The kit was bound around the arms with rope, sitting on the ground. Tears of fright were in his eyes, and he leveled brightly glittering blue eyes on Kagome, revealing a nasty bruise on the right side of his jaw. The instant he saw her, his eyes widened, and he yelped, mouth breaking into a broad smile. "_KAGOME!_"

The villagers' hollering and carrying on ceased almost immediately, and Kagome rushed forward, gathering the kit into her arms in a tight hug. He was bawling. "Kagome! Kagome!"

"Oh, Shippou-chan!" She kissed his tiny cheek, "I'm so sorry it took me so long to come home!"

"I missed you!" He wailed, "Miroku and Sango kept saying you might come back and so I didn't know if I could leave, but you stayed away so long, so I left but now you're back again! I'm never leaving again!"

Kagome was suddenly taken out of her heartfelt reunion when one of the more belligerent villagers grabbed her by the arm, whipping her around. "Drop that fiend!" he roared angrily, "We're going to kill it!"

"What has he done!" Kagome demanded, yanking her arm back. Never taking her eyes off the man, she untied the ropes that bound Shippou's arms and held him close, protectively. The kit, although having grown a bit bigger in the past few months, gripped handfuls of her shirt in his tiny fists and hid his face as though he were an infant. The angry young man looked about to spout some retort in reply to Kagome's question, but another villager, middle-aged and a far bit calmer, rested a hand on his shoulder. "Shokichi, lighten up." The man turned to Kagome, stepping forward.

"Forgive my young friend, he is a hot-headed one. I am the headman of this village, Einosuke." He gestured at Shippou, turning his own angry gaze on the redheaded young youkai. "That youkai's been destroying our fields, scaring our women and children for the past month. Now that we've finally caught it, we're going to exterminate it."

Shippou leaned forward to yell at the man. "I toldja, ya ugly old fart, I haven't even been around this area that long! I couldn't have done it!" The younger man, Shokichi, leaned forward to yell in Shippou's face as well.

"Who's gonna take the word of a youkai mongrel brat like you!" he demanded, and Kagome gently pushed him away, her brown eyes flashing defiantly at him. Her arms closed around Shippou to further guard him from the angry villagers.

"I will." A small gasp rolled through the crowd, but Kagome stood confidently. "Shippou-chan's like my little brother, I trust him. If he says that he didn't do anything, it means he didn't do anything." She felt a gentle, thankful nuzzle against her collarbone from Shippou.

"He's the only youkai around; who else could've?" cried a woman from the sidelines. A second man nodded, raising his sword up to emphasize his point as he hooted accordance. Kagome grit her teeth, looking at the woman who had yelled at her and preparing to chew her out when abruptly, a chorus of cries came from the back of the group.

"Aah!"

"Oof!"

"Hey!"

"Uh.." Kagome made a quiet half-noise as she watched villagers being shoved and pushed aside. Inuki carelessly tossed them aside by the backs of their shirts in his blind effort to reach her, leaving a wake of angry and embarrassed people.

The sleepy hanyou didn't so much as blink; he just marched onward with a dazed, exhausted expression, stopping right in front of Kagome and glaring down her. "You said we were going to ask them if I could sleep here, not start a fight."

"Ah…" Kagome looked down at Shippou at his sudden sharp intake of breath. The kit was staring in shock, his bottom jaw shaking, eyes quivering with more tears. Kagome realized instantly the cause of his sudden catatonia. _This is the first time he's met Inuki-kun… Shippou-chan loved Inuyasha as much as I did.. he was like his older brother…_

"Kagome" Inuki whined, and the miko turned to him, looking incredulous. "I-nu-ki-_KUN_! I don't know if you noticed, but I'm having a bit of a situation here! If you could descend from your _you_-oriented cloud of selfishness, could you maybe help me out a bit!"

"Alright, alright, you don't have to yell.." The teenager turned, allowing his bag to fall to the ground. He drew Tessaiga from his back, aiming the demon blade at the villager in front of him. He seemed to forget that his center of gravity had changed, and his sleepy body swayed slightly, toppling forward. He groaned, catching himself and then spreading his feet apart to steady himself. He nodded at Shokichi. "Okay, let's do this, I wanna go to sleep."

"What the hell is this?" Shokichi asked, not quite sure what Inuki intended to do. His eyes were still closed, and from the look of the blunt, rusted over sword in his hand, the kid wasn't planning on doing much damage.

"If anything you are making it _worse_!" Kagome screamed, letting Shippou drop to the ground and stomping over to grab Tessaiga's hilt and try to pull it away from Inuki. Even being half-asleep, the boy had a grip.

"Kagome, leggo, this is my sword!"

"Not right now it isn't, you're holding it at a human! It won't even transform for you, you idiot!"

Inuki opened his eyes, looking at the sword. His eyes opened slightly, his eyebrows raising in an expression of surprise. "Oh, yeah. I didn't notice." He allowed Kagome to yank it away from him, and just stood there looking dazed. He yawned while Kagome frantically resheathed the sword, and then looked at Einosuke, the headman.

"Sorry about him, he's exhausted. Listen," she clasped her hands together pleadingly, "We'll find whatever youkai is doing this to your village, but I swear that it isn't Shippou-chan. If you'll let us have a room for today so my companion can sleep, we'll track down that youkai tomorrow morning."

"How do we know we can trust you, and that you're not this kitsune's parents in disguise, trying to get him taken home?" Shokichi demanded, and Kagome grimaced, cursing the wariness of the villagers.

"Fine," she sighed, shrugging. "We'll sleep in the woods tonight--"

"That still doesn't do anything for my theory that you're the adult kitsune," Shokichi said darkly, crossing his arms. Kagome raised one eyebrow, both annoyed and impressed by his obstinacy. Even as much as Einosuke had quieted the hot-headed younger man's attempts at intimidating the young miko and her crew, Kagome frowned when she realized he agreed with Shokichi's point and was giving her an apologetic but stern glare. Shippou leaned close to Kagome's ear, putting his hand up to hide his whisper.

"Kagome, I could use my magic and sneak us out of here."

"True, but that would hardly do anything good for their trust in us."

Shippou sagged, knowing she was right, and Kagome turned to the mob. "What would you prefer?"

.n.

"Somehow, I hadn't expected… this."

Kagome stared at the door of the tiny hut as if it were a difficult algebra problem she had to solve. The wooden door was covered in o-fuda, as were the walls and the roof. There was only one small window to let the little room breathe, but not a great deal else was left. It was the shed the village used to keep their winter stores, and thus it stank of pickled vegetables. But it was nearly empty, Kagome noticed; most of what was inside was just hay, and it littered the floor as their makeshift beds for tonight.

It was still midday, the blue sky and warm light outside was proof of that. Shokichi and a few other young men had been ordered to tie Kagome, Shippou and Inuki up, even though the hanyou was already sawing logs and therefore hardly a threat. While the village miko had sealed the shed, Inuki leaned against Kagome's shoulder and slept on until they were untied and forcibly shoved into the shed. It was then sealed from the outside and after that, no one disturbed them.

_They must've forgotten us, Kagome thought with an angry expression, I hear them toiling out there without any thought to if we're even alive in here._

"This reminds me of that week Inuyasha shoved you down the well for," Shippou said suddenly, and Kagome turned to look at him. "Really?"

The kit nodded, sitting on a pile of hay near Inuki. He was glancing every so often at the hanyou as he spoke, his small face showing sadness and nostalgia far too old for his young years. "Inuyasha wouldn't sit still and let his wounds heal, so Kaede and Miroku put him in a sealed hut just like this one." Then the boy smiled, sounding embarrassed as he added, "He got upset when I turned into you to try and calm him down. He really missed you, but he was so stubborn. He wouldn't admit it."

Kagome chuckled, leaving the door and settling on the hay next to Inuki. She reached into her backpack and dug through it, finding some bottled water and a few bags of chips for them to munch on, and she handed one of each to Shippou. "Here. Doesn't look like they're going to be feeding us anytime soon. They still think we're youkai."

"Well, I am," Shippou reminded her, and Kagome looked irked. "Well, that's true. You probably couldn't get out of here then, huh?"

The kit shook his head, his mouth stuffed full of chips. Swallowing, he gestured to Inuki, who was snoring lightly, stretched out on a mat of hay with a sort of reckless abandon, even in sleep. "What about that guy?" Shippou wondered. He inched forward, hesitant about the new stranger that looked so much like his deceased friend, and sniffed at Inuki. "I smell youkai in him. We're screwed."

"Well, I can get out, I'm human," Kagome said, "But I really don't think getting out is an option anyway. We came in here to build their trust in us. If they open the door and one of us is missing, they'd be really upset." She went poking through the bag, setting things aside. "I only brought enough food for me and Inuki anyway, I'd hate to use it all up in one night…"

"He smells like Inuyasha…"

Kagome blinked at the sudden change of topic, and looked down at Shippou. He was staring at Inuki, tears welling up in his eyes. The kit sniffled loudly, rubbing his nose. "I mean, it's enough to tell he's not, but it still sorta smells like him." The kit looked up pitifully. "Is this guy… Inuyasha's reincarnation? Like you were with Kikyou?"

The girl nodded absently. Shippou frowned. "Do you still cry about Inuyasha? I mean before you left, if anybody even said his name you would start crying… and a little while ago when I was telling you about that time, you didn't even look sad, you smiled!" Shippou looked a little disappointed, and definitely confused. "Don't you miss him anymore?"

"Every single day, Shippou-chan," Kagome admitted, her voice quieting with the weight of her grief. "I _never_ stop thinking about him." The kit nodded, his head hanging.

"I never stop thinking about him either." She heard the tell-tale snuffle as he wiped his nose, and Shippou glanced offhandedly at Inuki. "After you left, I just felt so.. alone. Inuyasha was gone, and then you left me too. Even though Miroku and Sango were there I couldn't help but feel like I did right after Okaa and Otou died. I hated it."

Kagome looked down, biting her lip. _I'm so sorry_, she whispered, so softly that even a youkai's hearing wouldn't have caught it. The next words were still only a thought in midway between her mind and her throat. _I'm sorry I left you. I don't know how I can make it up to you.. if I even can. I shouldn't have left you…_

"After awhile, when you didn't come back, I finally just realized that I had to grow up. That when you did come back, I had to be different. I couldn't be the same little brat you left, that Inuyasha used to pick on. So me and Myouga-jii took Otou's fur and went back to my home to make a memorial for him. I was on my way back when these guys grabbed me," Shippou concluded, and Kagome nodded absently, taking in the kit's words, digesting every syllable until her head snapped up.

"Wait, Myouga-jiichan was with you?"

"Yep."

Kagome narrowed her eyes with a somewhat-annoyed grunt of disapproval. "He probably ran off when you got lynched, huh?" Shippou nodded knowingly.

"Yep."

"Figures."

.n.

Something was itchy in his shirt. Inuki squirmed where he lay, trying to fight off the antagonist, but that seemed to only irritate his back even further. He finally sat up with a gruff, aggravated glare, taking off his shirt and shaking it in one motion.

A few pieces of straw slipped out and he glared at the inanimate objects reprimandingly, tossing the shirt aside and falling back onto the straw and mostly back to sleep. That was until he felt another itch.

This time it felt like a prick into his skin, growing more and more irritating with every passing second, and its motions more and more like that a of a bug. He slapped it.

"Ow," he heard faintly, and instantly his curiosity --though subdued greatly by sleep-- was piqued. He lifted his hand and glanced down at his bare chest where a bug about an inch tall sat, flattened by the force of his slap. He had a little round, mostly bald head and four arms. No mouth, just a pointed sucker and antennae in addition to huge, bulgy eyes. The old-man bug-thing puffed himself out and grinned at him.

"Inuyasha-sama! It's so wonderful to see you, I thought you were--"

SLAP!

"This is a weird dream," Inuki mumbled, yawning as he slapped the bug-man again. The creature leapt out between clawed fingers.

"Inuyasha-sama, this is not a dream! It's me, Myouga!" With that, Inuki reached out, plucking the whatever-it-was and holding him between two fingers. Gently squeezing, he glared.

"Look, I'm not Inuyasha, for one thing. Secondly, I don't know any Myouga."

"Is that so" Myouga whimpered as his eyes bulged out even more, desperately hoping the enormous hanyou holding him would loosen up the squeezing. Inuki did so without having to be asked; he dropped him onto a pile of hay nearby. Landing without even so much as a sound, Myouga looked up at the young man he'd mistaken for his master. "I was so certain you were Inuyasha-sama though. You look a great deal like him, though you don't have the same eyes. But now that I think about it, your blood tastes similar, but not the same. So who are you?"

"What does it matter to you?" the boy asked, still quite a bit befuddled by this whole experience. He grimaced as he caught the rest of that. "And what do you mean my blood? What are you, a vampire demon?"

"That's stupid," Myouga said reproachfully, "I'm a flea demon. My name is Myouga. I was Inuyasha-sama's retainer from the time when he was very young, up until his untimely death."

"Uh-huh," Inuki grunted, raising one eyebrow as he quickly pondered that mental image: Inuyasha, a dog demon, having a flea demon as a servant. _Figures that he had fleas… Guy probably scratched his ears with his feet and drank out of the toilet too_. "Look, this is all very interesting, but I was catching up on some sleep, so if you'll kindly go do something else…"

"Inuki-kun?" Kagome's voice wafted over through the dark room, which Inuki only now realized was indeed pitch-black. Where the day had gone, he was uncertain; probably slept through it now that he remembered how exhausted he'd been when they arrived. It only then occurred to him he could see perfectly in the dark. _Probably another one of my youkai powers..._ he thought uneasily.

Kagome was curled up against a pile of hay across the room. She'd pulled off her windbreaker, and had it laid out over her as a blanket. A tiny body was curled up next to hers, a fluff of chestnut brown tail sticking out of one end. "What's that?" Inuki asked.

"Oh. Shippou-chan. You don't remember? The villagers were picking on him when we got here."

"Oh. No, I guess I was really tired…" Inuki stood. He made a sound under his breath that sounded aggravated, and then reached into his pocket, pulling out a lighter and flicking it. Instantly the flame lit everything in the small shed, and Kagome squinted at the sudden invasion on her eyes. "Oh," Inuki frowned, cupping his hand around it to shield her from it. "Sorry…"

"No, it's okay," the miko replied, smiling at him. He didn't return the gesture, and from the look on his face, it was obvious he didn't know where he was, so Kagome explained. After she was finished, the boy grimaced, making another of those grunts that told her in so many volumes how annoyed he was.

"So… stuck in a shed. Well, no offense, but I have to take care of some business, so I'm going to get out of here." He left Kagome making a disgusted face at the inclusion of his "business," heading over to the door. His fingers mere inches from the door, Kagome finally thought to say out loud,

"Inuki-kun, I don't think that's a good--"

"Ow!" He flinched back from the door, a harsh sizzling and a bright crackling of electricity shooting between his hand and the door. Faint trails of smoke rose from both the wood and his flesh, and Inuki looked down at his singed fingertips. They were bright red.

"--idea," Kagome finished. "There're wards on the door that prevent demons from escaping."

"Well, we've got to get out of here." He stood quietly for a moment, and Kagome could almost see the lightbulb flicker to life on top of his head. Inuki handed the lighter to her and she held it up, allowing the light to wash over the dark room, and she watched him turn and go back to the straw he'd slept on.

With a wicked grin, the hanyou drew the nicked blade he had inherited from his previous life and aimed it at the wall. "I'll bust down the door!"

"AAHH!"

The scream that came from outside startled them all, even waking Shippou. The kit sat up with a yelp and looked about the room in a fright, and Inuki frowned at the door, having only his imagination to help him wonder what was going on outside. "What the--"

"It must be the demon!" Kagome cried, pulling herself to her feet and snatching up her bow and arrows in the same motion. She darted past Inuki and flung open the door, running outside even as the startled hanyou stared in horror at the open door.

He followed three thoughts later, sounding irritated. "I thought you said we were stuck!"

Kagome ignored him, looking around for the source of the screams. She didn't have to wait long before yet another scream sounded, closer this time, and the three of them spun. Down the street, a thick cloud of dust was rising from the rapid motions of something fighting against the villagers.

They ran towards it, gasping when they recognized Shokichi amongst the wounded sitting underneath the trees. Kagome jogged over to him, kneeling and inspecting his shoulder. "Shokichi-san!"

"You guys…" Shokichi said in wonder, his face changing in the instant after to anger. "How did you get out of the shed…?" Kagome didn't reply; instead, she looked up at Inuki, giving him a meaningful nod. The boy nodded in agreement to her unspoken suggestion and ran ahead. Kagome turned back to the wounded villager, tightening the bandage on his shoulder to hinder the bleeding. For a moment he just glared at her, his expression part angry, part stupefied.

"I… I don't understand," he finally mumbled, his eyes betraying the deep wariness he felt. Shippou was sitting on Kagome's bag, watching her work quietly. He grimaced, sending a rather nasty glare at the hot-headed young villager.

"Kagome's human, idiot," Shippou told him bluntly. Kagome nodded, finishing her tending and adding, "We're demon hunters. I wish you had been able to trust us beforehand, but that's the way it goes. Flex your fingers for me, is the bandage too tight?"

Shokichi shook his head, clenching his hand as asked. Satisfied, Kagome stood, looking down the road towards the battle taking place. Unconsciously reacting to her worry, her hand tightened to a fist, and then she looked at Shokichi. "What kind of demon is it, do you know?"

"Like him," the villager replied, glaring at Shippou.

_Huh? Kagome looked at Shippou, and the kit looked surprised. "Me?"_

.n.

Despite the obvious damage to the village and the wounded townspeople, Inuki couldn't help but gape at the demon, stupefied beyond speech at the whole thing. _You… have GOT… to be kidding me…_

A large pink bubble-gum ball with bulging beady eyes floated in front of him like a huge target, its annoying little voice laughing sarcastically, and for a moment Inuki thought he was dreaming. Surely there was no youkai who actually thought this intimidating. The blue ethereal flames that surrounded the area certainly made the possibility that he was dreaming much more of a likely reality.

"OI! You stupid idiot! You wanna take a swing at me, little punk! I dare ya!" the thing croaked, the speaking style rough and informal, like a country boy.

_Somehow, that voice is familiar and annoying at the same time, he growled to himself, readying himself to attack. The creature didn't really seem all that menacing; he's probably all mouth. Doesn't seem to have any strength behind him at all._

Taking off again with a roaring battle cry, Inuki swung the Tessaiga downwards, cracking the youkai in the head. It let out a squeak of pain before suddenly disappearing in a puff of smoke. When the smoke cleared, Inuki could only gape again at what was floating before him.

"_Shippou!_"

"Heh, so you have some strength after all! Take this then!" The Shippou lookalike transformed again in a second puff of smoke, and this time when it cleared a comical abstract of a great bear was in its place. It attacked immediately, and Inuki found himself struggling to dodge; the creature was much faster than it seemed, its cinderblock sized paws swiping at everything it could reach.

"Inuki-sama! Use the Kaze no Kizu!"

"Eh!" Inuki's ears perked, and he turned about in wonder, unsure of where the little voice had come from. He recognized it as Myouga, but before he could ask where the damned flea was, the bear's claws tore into his shoulder.

"AGH!" Inuki clutched at his shredded shoulder, and he darted around the bear, propping himself up on Tessaiga. _Dammit! This thing is fast! I can't even begin to get a hit in! _As the demon began to turn its massive bulk, the boy swung out towards the bears' spine, but it darted forward and out of his range, letting out a roar of incredible ferocity that made the hair on the back of Inuki's neck stand on end.

Despite the fear coiling in the pit of his stomach, he couldn't help but feel excited. With every dodge and half-swing, his blood heated up more and more, rocketing through his veins and sending the fever of battle to the surface. A feverish hunger for fighting, for blood, that he had never felt before was beginning to swell in his chest, and the hanyou had to pause to regain his focus.

_Dammit, it's happening. He looked down at his hand with wide eyes; the nails were lengthening. His demon energy was collecting around him in warm waves, and he saw red. He shut his eyes. No, I'm turning into a youkai again! WHY?_

"Inuki-kun, watch out!"

Kagome suddenly yelled out from somewhere behind him as if reaching out for him in the dark, and Inuki gasped out loud, feeling the transformation fade. Snapping back, he saw the bear looming on its hindlegs over him, preparing to strike.

_I can't move!_

TWANG! The sound of a bowstring being plucked echoed in his ears, and the next instant, Kagome's purified arrow was embedded in the demon's arm. The bear gave a short grumble of pain before disappearing in another puff of smoke. The group watched the Shippou-lookalike squeal in agony before it dissipated into nothingness.

The Shikon no Tama dropped to the ground with a soft clink and rolled out of sight down a nearby hill. Inuki grit his teeth, growling under his breath. _It had the jewel.. That's why I was about to transform…_

"Inuki-kun, are you alright?" Kagome dashed to his side, undertones of worry in her gentle voice. She knelt by the panting teenager, and her breath caught in her throat when she saw the purple stripes fading on his cheekbones. "What happened?"

"The thing had the jewel," he groaned, "I don't know why I was transforming, I wasn't even holding it.." He took a deep breath, thankful to let the rest of the transformation die away. He sat up, gesturing with his chin in the direction of the jewel. "It landed over there."

"I'll get it!" said Shippou, the real Shippou this time, and scampered out of sight. Kagome took Inuki's arm, helping him to his feet, and he levered himself up with Tessaiga. Out of the corner of his eye he noticed a tiny speck bouncing up onto Kagome's shoulders from the ground, and he snatched it from the air mid-pounce.

"YOU! Where the hell were you! Yelling out "Use the Kaze no Kizu" like I know what the hell you mean! You're over there by the sidelines! What kind of a retainer are you?"

"Gamyou" Myouga croaked, his eyes bulging out even more than usual as Inuki squeezed him. Kagome chuckled softly, patting Inuki's forearm and leaving him to his business. She headed down the hill where she could see Shippou moving from spot to spot, looking for the jewel. _Lucky! _She thought to herself, _First day out and we've already found it! I wish looking for the fragments had been this easy!_

"Did you get it yet Shippou-chan?" she asked, and the little kit looked up, a frantic expression on his face. "Kagome, it's not here! The Jewel is gone!"

_What!_

From the cover of the trees, a youkai watched with dark eyes, rolling the Jewel back and forth between its palms.

…To be continued

a/n : You know, aside from the general difficulty of writing this chapter because of the not-knowing where I wanted to go with it, the hardest scene to write was Inuki's sleeping scenes. Im sort of like a method actor; I internalize emotion and find that situation in myself in order to write.

So I kept falling asleep while writing it. :yawn: Do you know how hard it is to concentrate when every three seconds, you have to yawn, and blink water from your eyes, and stretch? Ugh. Not to mention that yawning is contagious; all I have to do is READ the word "yawn" and I'm yawning. Ugh part two.

But you have the result of my.. tiresome work in your hands. (Figuratively speaking, of course.) I hope you guys like it. You should know that I HATE this chapter. I think it's the worst piece of "telling, not showing" drivel I've ever written. But I need to get past it to get anywhere with this story, and I don't wanna let you guys down after all. I'd hate to leave this incomplete. ;)

;p

.Tessen.


End file.
